2023 Best Special Education Schools in California
Finding the Best Special Education School for You
With 2,861 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, special education is the #45 most popular major in California.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Special Education Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 34 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Special Education Schools in California
Check out the special ed programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Special Education Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Saint Mary’s College of California the best school in California for special education students. SMC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Moraga.
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Out of the 34 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandman University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Brandman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Irvine.
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The excellent programs at Fresno Pacific University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in California. Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno Pacific is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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The excellent programs at University of California - Berkeley helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in California. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.
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Out of the 34 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Point Loma Nazarene University landed the # 5 spot on the list. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.
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California State University - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public college with a very large student population.
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Notre Dame de Namur University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. NDNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Belmont.
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With a ranking of #8, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
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With a ranking of #9, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. Located in the large suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Full Special Education at California State University - San Marcos Report
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With a ranking of #10, University of Redlands did quite well on this year’s best schools for special education students. University of Redlands is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Redlands.
Read full report on Special Education at University of Redlands
Request InformationBest Special Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Special Education Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 238 |
| Oregon | 234 |
| Nevada | 215 |
| Hawaii | 49 |
| Alaska | 52 |
More Special Education Rankings in California
Special Education Related Rankings by Major
One of 14 majors within the area of study, special education has other similar majors worth exploring.
Majors Similar to Special Ed
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 110,226 |
| Educational Administration | 46,469 |
| Teacher Education Subject Specific | 43,297 |
| General Education | 29,810 |
| Curriculum & Instruction | 19,832 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to woodleywonderworks.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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