How To Become A Special Education Superintendent: What It Is and Career Path

What is a special education superintendent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Marie Leahy

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a special education superintendent. For example, did you know that they make an average of $30.93 an hour? That's $64,332 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 5% and produce 14,200 job opportunities across the U.S.

What's a day at work look like for a special education superintendent?

Marie Leahy

Associate Professor, Chestnut Hill College

Recent graduates in the teaching profession are going to experience a very similar situation as they had in student teaching since schools are still a mixture of being virtual, hybrid, and in-person. Recent graduates will need to accommodate different learning modalities at once since in-person and hybrid models typically have an online option; consequently, a teacher who is teaching children in-person will also have students streaming the class and participating virtually. At the risk of stating the obvious, recent graduates in the field of education will certainly have to face the fear of being exposed to COVID-19 as they venture into the classroom. They will also need to use their creativity and ingenuity to foster a warm and caring classroom environment as they foster relationships in an environment where everyone is wearing a mask and staying six feet apart. That's challenging.

ScoreSpecial Education SuperintendentUS Average

Salary

5.0

Avg. Salary $64,332

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 5%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.69%

Asian 4.05%

Black or African American 14.66%

Hispanic or Latino 12.48%

Unknown 3.94%

White 64.18%

Gender

female 42.75%

male 57.25%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a special education superintendent

Explore special education superintendent education requirements

Most common special education superintendent degrees

Bachelor's

42.3 %

Associate

25.4 %

Master's

13.8 %

Start to develop specific special education superintendent skills

Skills	Percentages
Technical Assistance	10.55%
Training Programs	9.09%
DOT	8.44%
Professional Development	8.07%
Purchase Orders	7.30%

Complete relevant special education superintendent training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New special education superintendents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a special education superintendent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real special education superintendent resumes.

Research special education superintendent duties and responsibilities

Lead and develop education and eLearning programs ensuring establish financial goals and customer satisfaction.
Monitor budget for program, provide technical support for computer and business equipment issues and assist patients inquiring about medical issues.
Lead and develop education and eLearning programs ensuring establish financial goals and customer satisfaction.

Apply for special education superintendent jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a special education superintendent job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

What is a special education superintendent and how to become one

What's a day at work look like for a special education superintendent?

Key steps to become a special education superintendent

Explore special education superintendent education requirements

Most common special education superintendent degrees

Start to develop specific special education superintendent skills

Complete relevant special education superintendent training and internships

Research special education superintendent duties and responsibilities

Apply for special education superintendent jobs

How did you land your first special education superintendent job

Average special education superintendent salary

How do special education superintendents rate their job?