Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten
Also called: Deaf Teacher, Hearing Impaired Itinerant Teacher (HI Itinerant Teacher), Special Education Resource Teacher, SPED Teacher (Special Education Teacher)Teach academic, social, and life skills to kindergarten students with learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Includes teachers who specialize and work with students who are blind or have visual impairments; students who are deaf or have hearing impairments; and students with intellectual disabilities.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 15 of its 29 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 0.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
BLS figures cover the broader occupation “Special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school”, which includes this one and others.
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.2% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Special education teachers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.8 hires for every 10 job openings in private educational services, which employs about 99% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.8 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $64,520 | $59,480 to $73,380 | 870 |
| Alaska | $80,230 | $78,090 to $95,800 | 320 |
| Arizona | $56,030 | $47,890 to $61,360 | 2,450 |
| Arkansas | $54,290 | $51,310 to $60,330 | 1,430 |
| California | $97,170 | $76,700 to $108,320 | 23,280 |
| Colorado | $74,290 | $61,420 to $81,900 | 4,010 |
| Connecticut | $82,950 | $65,040 to $99,500 | 2,810 |
| Delaware | $65,990 | $59,790 to $81,480 | 1,070 |
| District of Columbia | $97,910 | $79,880 to $103,510 | 1,070 |
| Florida | $58,850 | $53,250 to $63,140 | 8,740 |
| Georgia | $72,880 | $61,290 to $80,370 | 9,370 |
| Hawaii | $60,940 | $59,400 to $75,320 | 1,270 |
| Idaho | $63,610 | $51,390 to $76,590 | 620 |
| Illinois | $77,960 | $60,700 to $97,370 | 14,040 |
| Indiana | $58,760 | $49,290 to $65,640 | 3,640 |
| Iowa | $60,440 | $49,210 to $66,580 | 2,560 |
| Kansas | $59,970 | $50,810 to $65,820 | 1,610 |
| Kentucky | $60,060 | $48,630 to $63,240 | 3,710 |
| Louisiana | $58,800 | $49,310 to $61,140 | 4,000 |
| Maine | $61,880 | $50,300 to $75,210 | 1,320 |
| Maryland | $78,850 | $63,540 to $100,520 | 2,760 |
| Massachusetts | $91,350 | $76,370 to $101,240 | 7,220 |
| Michigan | $74,600 | $58,880 to $88,170 | 4,010 |
| Minnesota | $67,620 | $58,730 to $80,340 | 3,960 |
| Mississippi | $50,570 | $48,500 to $59,360 | 2,530 |
| Missouri | $57,260 | $46,480 to $70,770 | 2,860 |
| Montana | $57,630 | $43,910 to $75,310 | 560 |
| Nebraska | $62,420 | $58,740 to $76,400 | 1,900 |
| Nevada | $65,110 | $57,060 to $78,060 | 430 |
| New Hampshire | $65,160 | $50,880 to $78,940 | 1,110 |
| New Jersey | $76,660 | $64,600 to $97,770 | 11,610 |
| New Mexico | $76,420 | $61,200 to $81,360 | 880 |
| New York | $81,260 | $66,300 to $117,540 | 21,130 |
| North Carolina | $58,260 | $48,500 to $61,430 | 4,430 |
| North Dakota | $57,950 | $47,070 to $60,670 | 590 |
| Ohio | $73,970 | $58,780 to $82,010 | 9,550 |
| Oklahoma | $50,630 | $47,380 to $59,650 | 2,360 |
| Oregon | $77,700 | $63,050 to $92,420 | 1,520 |
| Pennsylvania | $72,680 | $59,080 to $81,580 | 7,640 |
| Puerto Rico | $58,220 | $51,400 to $60,090 | 1,850 |
| Rhode Island | $84,300 | $62,170 to $95,000 | 1,070 |
| South Carolina | $62,360 | $59,380 to $75,130 | 2,950 |
| South Dakota | $51,090 | $48,560 to $58,640 | 790 |
| Tennessee | $62,560 | $54,010 to $68,890 | 3,910 |
| Texas | $62,330 | $60,390 to $65,990 | 56,760 |
| Utah | $61,290 | $49,190 to $79,170 | 1,890 |
| Vermont | $74,200 | $61,060 to $78,790 | 770 |
| Virginia | $67,740 | $60,060 to $82,150 | 7,440 |
| Washington | $95,040 | $78,960 to $106,330 | 3,450 |
| West Virginia | $50,380 | $47,090 to $59,640 | 1,690 |
| Wisconsin | $61,520 | $54,010 to $75,770 | 4,280 |
| Wyoming | $60,930 | $58,260 to $72,780 | 650 |
Nationally: $65,120. State figures are for BLS's “Special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school”. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 15 of its 29 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Instruct students with disabilities in academic subjects, using a variety of techniques, such as phonetics, multisensory learning, or repetition to reinforce learning and meet students' varying needs. | Not published |
| Not much | Develop or implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of disabilities. | Not published |
| AI + software | Maintain accurate and complete student records as required by laws, district policies, or administrative regulations. | Not published |
| Not much | Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement. | Not published |
| Not much | Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order among students. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare objectives, outlines, or other materials for courses of study, following curriculum guidelines or school or state requirements. | 0.02% |
See all 29 tasks
| AI alone | Confer with parents, administrators, testing specialists, social workers, or other professionals to develop individual educational plans (IEPs) for students' educational, physical, or social development. | Not published |
| Not much | Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory. | Not published |
| AI + software | Meet with parents or guardians to discuss their children's progress, advise them on using community resources, or teach skills for dealing with students' impairments. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe and evaluate students' performance, behavior, social development, and physical health. | Not published |
| Not much | Confer with parents, guardians, teachers, counselors, or administrators to resolve students' behavioral or academic problems. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play. | Not published |
| Not much | Monitor teachers or teacher assistants to ensure adherence to special education program requirements. | Not published |
| AI + software | Modify the general kindergarten education curriculum for students with disabilities. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare, administer, or grade assignments to evaluate students' progress. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Organize and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their perceptual skills. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with other staff members to plan, schedule, or conduct activities for a balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with opportunities to observe, question, and investigate. | Not published |
| AI alone | Prepare assignments for teacher assistants or volunteers. | Not published |
| Not much | Attend professional meetings, educational conferences, or teacher training workshops to maintain or improve professional competence. | Not published |
| AI alone | Collaborate with other teachers or administrators to develop, evaluate, or revise kindergarten programs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Administer standardized ability and achievement tests to kindergarten students with special needs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Present information in audio-visual or interactive formats, using computers, televisions, audio-visual aids, or other equipment, materials, or technologies. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Provide assistive devices, supportive technology, or assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform administrative duties, such as school library assistance, hall and cafeteria monitoring, and bus loading and unloading. | Not published |
| Not much | Organize and supervise games or other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, or social development. | Not published |
| Not much | Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment or materials to prevent injuries and damage. | Not published |
| AI alone | Plan or supervise experiential learning activities, such as class projects, field trips, demonstrations, or visits by guest speakers. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Control the inventory or distribution of classroom equipment, materials, or supplies. | Not published |
| Not much | Visit schools to tutor students with sensory impairments or to consult with teachers regarding students' special needs. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 4 of the 29 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 29 tasks fall under 18 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #23 Prepare informational or instructional materials
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures | |||
| Prepare informational or instructional materials | |||
| Monitor individual behavior or performance | |||
| Assess student capabilities, needs, or performance | |||
| Collaborate in the development of educational programs | |||
| Advise others on educational or vocational matters | |||
| Set up classrooms, facilities, educational materials, or equipment | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise |
Show all 18 activities
| Teach academic or vocational subjects | |||
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Teach life skills | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Assist individuals with special needs | |||
| Train others to use equipment or products | |||
| Distribute materials, supplies, or resources | |||
| Develop safety standards, policies, or procedures | |||
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Teaching material36%
- A document or report23%
- A presentation or slides12%
- A plan or strategy5%
- An app or website4%
How they worked with Claude
50% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for special education teachers, kindergarten specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Education and training for the occupation
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 3% high school
- 3% some college
- 2% associate's
- 37% bachelor's
- 49% master's
- 3% professional degree
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Special education teachers” · 4,707 people surveyed.
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Special education teachers”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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