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Best Special Education Schools in California

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2023 Best Special Education Schools in California

34 Colleges
$59,751 Avg Salary
$17,326 Avg Student Debt

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 analysis found Saint Mary’s College of California to be the best school for special education students who want to pursue a degree in California. SMC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Moraga.

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#2

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

The excellent programs at Brandman University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in California. Brandman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Irvine.

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Out of the 34 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Fresno Pacific University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno Pacific is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Special Education at Fresno Pacific University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in California list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.

Full Special Education at University of California - Berkeley Report

The excellent programs at Point Loma Nazarene University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best special education schools in California. PLNU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.

Full Special Education at Point Loma Nazarene University Report

California State University - Los Angeles landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Special Education at California State University - Los Angeles Report

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.

Read full report on Special Education at Notre Dame de Namur University

#8

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

Loyola Marymount University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Special Education Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at Loyola Marymount University

California State University - San Marcos did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for special education students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public college with a large student population.

Read full report on Special Education at California State University - San Marcos

#10

University of Redlands

Redlands, CA

University of Redlands landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best special education programs. 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

Best Special Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Colleges 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

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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