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Exceptional children's teacher salary

Quoted expert
Patricia Rogan Ph.D.

Average exceptional children's teacher salary

$46,317

$22.27 hourly rate

Entry-level exceptional children's teacher salary
$35,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Understanding Exceptional Children's Teacher Salaries

As an Exceptional Children's Teacher, you play a crucial role in shaping the educational experiences of students with diverse needs. The average salary for this position is $46,317 annually, which equates to around $22 per hour. This salary can vary significantly depending on factors such as geographical location, years of experience, and specific educational institutions.

State-by-State Salary Insights

For example, states like California and New York often offer higher salaries compared to others, reflecting the cost of living and demand for skilled educators in those regions. In addition, urban areas typically provide better pay due to higher demand for specialized educators.

Career Opportunities

Exceptional Children's Teachers can find positions in public schools, private institutions, and specialized educational settings. With a growing emphasis on inclusive education, the demand for qualified teachers in this field continues to rise. Exploring job opportunities in various states and cities can lead to not only a fulfilling career but also competitive compensation.

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Where can an Exceptional Children's Teacher earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
72k
52k
32k
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Columbus, OH$52,484
North Wilkesboro, NC$42,177
Compare salary by company
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76k
56k
36k
16k
University of California-Berkeley$56,148
Wilkes University$46,185

Average exceptional children's teacher salary by state

The highest-paying states for exceptional children's teachers are New York, Maryland, and Washington. The lowest average exceptional children's teacher salary states are Arkansas, Indiana, and Texas.

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Average salary:

Highest paying states for exceptional children's teachers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Maryland$67,351$32.38
2New Jersey$61,999$29.81
3New York$74,371$35.76
4Connecticut$54,230$26.07
5Nebraska$53,412$25.68
6Michigan$51,282$24.65
7Washington$62,339$29.97
8Massachusetts$56,367$27.10
9District of Columbia$58,910$28.32
10Wyoming$51,876$24.94
11Pennsylvania$51,017$24.53
12Montana$49,240$23.67
13Illinois$50,064$24.07
14New Hampshire$49,176$23.64
15Rhode Island$53,655$25.80
16Kansas$49,527$23.81
17Virginia$52,628$25.30
18Alaska$56,437$27.13
19Utah$51,564$24.79
20Ohio$49,279$23.69
21Minnesota$47,709$22.94
22Vermont$50,062$24.07
23New Mexico$45,105$21.69
24California$52,385$25.19
25Tennessee$45,393$21.82
26Oregon$49,389$23.74
27Iowa$45,749$21.99
28Kentucky$47,249$22.72
29North Dakota$46,823$22.51
30Wisconsin$45,687$21.96
31Delaware$45,264$21.76
32Colorado$43,850$21.08
33Missouri$44,201$21.25
34Georgia$43,970$21.14
35North Carolina$42,114$20.25
36Alabama$44,853$21.56
37Arizona$41,146$19.78
38Hawaii$49,725$23.91
39Idaho$42,831$20.59
40Florida$41,709$20.05
41Nevada$38,866$18.69
42Indiana$39,464$18.97
43South Dakota$42,574$20.47
44South Carolina$39,683$19.08
45Louisiana$41,653$20.03
46Oklahoma$37,765$18.16
47Texas$38,924$18.71
48Maine$41,294$19.85
49Arkansas$39,555$19.02
50West Virginia$40,254$19.35
51Mississippi$38,131$18.33
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Highest paying cities for exceptional children's teachers

The highest-paying cities for exceptional children's teachers are Santa Barbara, CA, Riverside, CA, and Forest Park, IL.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Santa Barbara, CA$52,484$25.23
2Riverside, CA$51,785$24.90
3Forest Park, IL$50,162$24.12
4Chicago, IL$50,156$24.11
5Shepherdsville, KY$47,201$22.69
6McDonough, GA$44,051$21.18
7Sandpoint, ID$43,665$20.99
8Halifax, NC$43,045$20.69
9Littleton, NC$43,024$20.68
10Henderson, NC$42,782$20.57
11Oxford, NC$42,727$20.54
12Wilson, NC$42,486$20.43
13Durham, NC$42,417$20.39
14Graham, NC$42,376$20.37
15Greensboro, NC$42,316$20.34
16Havelock, NC$42,286$20.33
17Beaufort, NC$42,283$20.33
18Winston-Salem, NC$42,261$20.32
19Pittsboro, NC$42,208$20.29
20North Wilkesboro, NC$42,177$20.28

Exceptional children's teacher salary details

An exceptional children's teacher's salary ranges from $35,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $61,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average exceptional children's teacher salary graph
Average exceptional children's teacher salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an exceptional children's teacher's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$61,000$5,083$29
75th Percentile$53,000$4,417$25
Average$46,317$3,860$22
25th Percentile$39,000$3,250$19
10th Percentile$35,000$2,917$17

Highest paying exceptional children's teacher jobs

The highest paying types of exceptional children's teachers are science teacher, student teacher, and reading teacher.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Teacher Internship$48,398$4,033$23.27105,496
First Grade Teacher$49,757$4,146$23.9270,517
Teacher$47,989$3,999$23.0771,918
6th Grade Teacher$45,615$3,801$21.9369,523
Long Term Substitute Teacher$42,808$3,567$20.5869,133
Music Teacher$51,978$4,331$24.9954,429

How would you rate the starting salaries for exceptional children's teachers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Patricia Rogan Ph.D.

Professor, Special Education/Urban Teacher Education, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis

Teacher salaries continue to grow, but they vary from state to state and district to district. According to the NEA, the average starting salary for beginning teachers in 2017-18 was $39,249. The average salary of all teachers in the U.S. was $61,730 in 2018-19, which was a 2.1% increase from the previous year. Despite COVID-19 and its impact on teachers, it is doubtful that teacher salaries will jump significantly in the years ahead (due to state economic challenges) unless teachers strike.

Which companies pay exceptional children's teachers the most?

Exceptional children's teacher salaries at University of California, Berkeley and Broward County Public Schools are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average exceptional children's teacher salary at companies like Chatham County Schools and KIPP DC are highly competitive.

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$43,000$42,400$41,800$41,200$40,600$40,000
MaleFemale

Exceptional children's teacher salary trends

The average exceptional children's teacher salary has risen by $6,157 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average exceptional children's teacher earned $40,160 annually, but today, they earn $46,317 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for exceptional children's teachers over the last decade.

Compare exceptional children's teacher salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average exceptional children's teacher salary over time

Compare exceptional children's teacher salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Exceptional children's teacher salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$46,300$22.27+2.1%
2025$45,400$21.80+2.4%
2024$44,300$21.28+1.8%
2023$43,400$20.89+2.4%
2022$42,400$20.39+1.6%

Recently added exceptional children's teacher salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Idea Public SchoolsExceptional Student Education (ESE) Teacher-Idea River Bluff)Jacksonville, FL06/28/2025$50,000
AmergisExceptional Student Education TeacherOrlando, FL06/25/2025$89,741
Public School of North CarolinaExceptional Children's Teacher: EC General Curriculum (Signing Bonus Eligible)North Wilkesboro, NC05/29/2025$78,263
Idea Public SchoolsExceptional Student Education (ESE) TeacherJacksonville, FL05/28/2025$50,000
Miami-Dade County Public SchoolsExceptional Student Education (K-12) TeacherMiami, FL05/18/2025$53,053
TMSA Public Charter SchoolsExceptional Children's Teacher (Multiple Openings)Apex, NC05/17/2025$68,330
AmergisExceptional Student Education Teacher-Central FL School YearTavares, FL05/15/2025$89,741
Wilkes County SchoolsExceptional Children's Teacher for Best Academy-Ec/Gc-Pro-Rated Signing Bonus Eligible SCBoone, NC05/10/2025$78,263
State of New YorkTeacher 2/Teacher 3/Teacher 4 (NY Helps), New York City Children's Center, Bronx Campus, P26057New York, NY05/04/2025$63,361
Wilkes County SchoolsExceptional Children's Teacher: Ecgc (Signing Bonus Eligible School YearRonda, NC04/27/2025$78,263

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