# Special Education Teachers, Secondary School

US SOC code 25-2058. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/25-2058

Also called: Special education teacher secondary school, SPED high school teacher, High school special ed teacher, Secondary special education teacher, Transition teacher.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **163,930** US secondary school special education teachers, with median pay of **$74,260** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1906/dec/blind-deaf.html) of **4,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for secondary school special education teachers: Cloud IEP management + AT ecosystem, 2010 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects little or no change in employment from 2025 to 2035 (-0.2%). Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-2058&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **29.5%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## Special Education Teachers, Secondary School employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1817
- Latest US employment: 163,930 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $74,260 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [7]
- Outlook: -0.2% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [19]

### All 14 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 4,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., 1900 Census Special Reports [1] |
| 1950 | 25,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Special Education [2] |
| 1975 | n/a | $12,600 | NCES [6] |
| 1976 | 165,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NCES [3] |
| 1990 | n/a | $33,084 | NCES [6] |
| 1999 | 386,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Journal of Special Education Vol. 38 [4] |
| 2000 | n/a | $43,378 | NCES [6] |
| 2019 | 143,170 | $61,710 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 142,500 | $62,320 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 145,690 | $62,120 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 152,490 | $63,560 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 158,150 | $66,620 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 162,780 | $69,590 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 163,930 | $74,260 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (55)

### Employment series

1. [1900 Census Special Reports: The Blind and the Deaf -- US Census Bureau](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1906/dec/blind-deaf.html), US Census Bureau
2. [Special Education -- Encyclopedia.com (history of public special classes and teacher employment through mid-20th century)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/education/education-terms-and-concepts/special-education), Encyclopedia.com
3. [NCES -- Children 3 to 21 years old served under IDEA Part B, by disability: 1976-77 (3,694,000 students identified, first full IDEA implementation year)](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_204.30.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
4. [Journal of Special Education Vol. 38, No. 1 (2004) -- "The Supply of and Demand for Special Education Teachers": 386,133 SPED teachers in 1998-99, 360,000 fully certified, serving 5.7 million students](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ693731.pdf), Journal of Special Education / ERIC
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)

### Wage series

6. [NCES, Digest of Education Statistics — Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, 1975-76 = $12,600 (Table 78)](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/tables/dt09_078.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
7. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
8. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Tool eras

9. [American School for the Deaf -- History and Cogswell Heritage House: founding April 15, 1817; "Mother School" of American deaf education; Laurent Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet co-founders](https://www.asd-1817.org/about/history--cogswell-heritage-house), American School for the Deaf
10. [History of Education of People Who Are Visually Impaired -- American Foundation for the Blind: Braille adoption in US 1918; competition between New York Point, Boston Line Type, and Braille](https://afb.org/online-library/unseen-minority-0/historical-chronologies/history-education-visually-impaired-people), American Foundation for the Blind
11. [A Short History of Special Education -- All Education Schools: 1950s federal laws provided teacher training grants; special classes expanded into public schools; ABA's behavioral learning methods applied to special education](https://www.alleducationschools.com/blog/history-of-special-education/), All Education Schools
12. [IDEA History -- US Department of Education: PL 94-142 signed November 29, 1975; full implementation 1977; IEP mandate; 3.7 million students first served](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History), US Department of Education
13. [IDEA 34 CFR § 300.320 -- IEP content requirements: present levels, annual goals, services, least restrictive environment, and transition services for secondary students aged 16+](https://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,D,300%252E320,), US Department of Education / IDEA
14. [Frontline Education -- Special Programs Management Software for K-12: IEP compliance platform serving over 2,300 U.S. education organizations; supports IEP management, Section 504 plans, Medicaid and service documentation, RTI/MTSS tracking](https://www.frontlineeducation.com/special-programs/special-ed-software/), Frontline Education
15. [Texthelp -- Read&Write, Co:Writer, and Equatio product family: cloud-native AT tools integrated into Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 for secondary students with reading, writing, and math disabilities](https://www.everway.com/products/equatio/), Texthelp
16. [NPR -- "Overworked and understaffed: Special ed teachers turn to AI for help" (2026-05-20): 57% of SPED teachers used AI for IEPs in 2024-25 (up from 39%); weekly AI users save up to 6 weeks annually; AI described as "a Band-Aid" for structural shortage](https://www.npr.org/2026/05/20/nx-s1-5810192/special-education-teachers-ai-ieps), NPR
17. [MagicSchool AI -- IEP Generator, Transition Plan Generator, Present Levels Generator: reduces IEP writing from 2-3 hrs to 30-45 min; 3M+ teachers including secondary SPED educators (2025)](https://www.magicschool.ai/), MagicSchool AI
18. [Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) -- AI in Special Education position (2025): AI can support IEP writing and transition documentation; AI cannot replace licensed SPED teacher judgment, IDEA compliance responsibility, family partnership, or advocacy role](https://exceptionalchildren.org/), Council for Exceptional Children

### Forecasts and exposure studies

19. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 25-2058 Special education teachers, secondary school (2025: 164.8 thousand; 2035: 164.5 thousand; -0.2%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=25-2058&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 25-2058.00, human-rated β 0.295)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

21. [American School for the Deaf -- History: founding April 15, 1817; Gallaudet and Clerc co-founders; "Mother School" for American deaf education](https://www.asd-1817.org/about/history--cogswell-heritage-house), American School for the Deaf
22. [Education of the Deaf -- Encyclopedia.com: National Education Association establishes Department of the Deaf, Blind, and Mentally Deficient in 1897; Council for Exceptional Children founded 1922](https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/education-deaf), Encyclopedia.com
23. [IDEA History -- US Department of Education: PL 94-142 signed November 29, 1975; full implementation 1977; created free appropriate public education mandate for 3.7 million students](https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History), US Department of Education
24. [IDEA 34 CFR § 300.320(b) -- Transition services: measurable postsecondary goals in education, employment, and independent living required by age 16; teacher of record is the mandated IEP team member accountable for this planning](https://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,D,300%252E320,), US Department of Education / IDEA
25. [NCES -- Children 3 to 21 years old served under IDEA Part B, by disability: 2021-22 = 7,259,000; BLS OOH Special Education Teachers: 45 states reported SPED teacher shortages in 2024-25](https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d23/tables/dt23_204.30.asp), National Center for Education Statistics
26. [Education Week -- "Teachers Are Using AI to Help Write IEPs. Advocates Have Concerns" (October 2025): 57% adoption rate; data privacy and ableist-bias concerns; Georgia advises against AI for high-stakes IEP writing](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teachers-are-using-ai-to-help-write-ieps-advocates-have-concerns/2025/10), Education Week

### Predecessors & successors

27. [American School for the Deaf -- History: founded 1817; "Mother School" training successive generations of deaf education teachers across the US](https://www.asd-1817.org/about/history--cogswell-heritage-house), American School for the Deaf
28. [BLS OOH -- Special Education Teachers: most enter the profession via state licensure programs; many transition from general education teaching with additional SPED endorsement](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/special-education-teachers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Special Education Teachers, Secondary School (25-2058.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills, knowledge domains, employment data](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-2058.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [BLS OOH 2024-2034 — Special Education Teachers: ~559,500 employed; -1% projected decline 2024-2034; ~37,800 annual openings; secondary SOC 25-2058.00 median wage $69,590; 45 states reported SPED teacher shortages in 2024-25](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/special-education-teachers.htm), accessed 2026-05-24
- [IDEA 34 CFR § 300.320(b) — Transition Services: IEPs must include measurable postsecondary goals in education, employment, and independent living beginning no later than age 16; transition services and courses of study must be specified annually](https://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,D,300%252E320,), accessed 2026-05-24
- [IDEA 34 CFR § 300.321 — IEP team composition: licensed special education teacher is a required mandated member of every student's IEP team; no AI tool can fulfill this legal team-member role](https://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,D,300%252E321,), accessed 2026-05-24
- [NPR — "Overworked and understaffed: Special ed teachers turn to AI for help" (2026-05-20): 57% of SPED teachers used AI for IEPs in 2024-25 (up from 39%); weekly AI users save up to six weeks annually; AI called "a Band-Aid" for structural shortage](https://www.npr.org/2026/05/20/nx-s1-5810192/special-education-teachers-ai-ieps), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Education Week — "Teachers Are Using AI to Help Write IEPs. Advocates Have Concerns" (Oct 2025): 57% SPED AI adoption for IEPs; data privacy and ableist-bias risks; Georgia advises against AI for "high stakes" IEP purposes; AI should be a "writing partner," not autopilot](https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/teachers-are-using-ai-to-help-write-ieps-advocates-have-concerns/2025/10), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) — AI in Special Education (2025): AI can support IEP writing, transition planning documentation, and differentiated content; AI cannot replace licensed SPED teacher judgment, IDEA compliance responsibility, transition coordination, family partnership, or advocacy](https://exceptionalchildren.org/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [MagicSchool AI — IEP Generator, Transition Plan Generator, Present Levels of Performance Generator, BIP Designer: reduces IEP writing from 2-3 hrs to 30-45 min; used by 3M+ teachers including secondary special educators (2025)](https://www.magicschool.ai/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Goalbook Threads — AI feature evaluating IEP section alignment (impact statement through goals to specially designed instruction); research-backed improvement suggestions; piloted by Anne Arundel County Public Schools spring 2025; 200,000+ special educators, 2,200+ districts](https://goalbook.com/leadership/iep-development-and-educator-effectiveness-goalbook-threads/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [n2y Polaris — AI-powered IEP planning system: guides teams through plan/write/execute/report stages; transition planning module for postsecondary goals; used by 70,000+ special educators; integrates with Unique Learning System for standards-aligned academic and transition content (2025)](https://www.everway.com/products/polaris/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Naviance CCLR (PowerSchool) 2025-2026 update — PowerBuddy AI matches students to internships, job shadows, apprenticeships, scholarships, and career profiles; 11,000+ schools; 60,000+ credential and certificate programs; used alongside transition IEPs to document IDEA-required career exploration](https://www.powerschool.com/products/college-career-life-readiness/cclr/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Equatio (Texthelp/Everway) — AI math accessibility AT: voice, handwriting, and type input to digital math notation; Math Mentor AI provides step-by-step tutoring hints; supports students with dyscalculia and dysgraphia in algebra, geometry, and STEM; IEP-mandated AT in secondary SPED (2025)](https://www.everway.com/products/equatio/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science): occupational LLM exposure framework; Special Education Teachers share low-to-moderate direct LLM exposure pattern with adjacent teacher codes due to embodied, relational, and legally structured practice core](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Co:Writer (Don Johnston / Texthelp/Everway) — AI grammar-aware word prediction and speech-to-text for students with dyslexia and dysgraphia; predicts intended words even with incorrect spelling and grammar; Chrome extension for Google Docs and Google Classroom; widely used in secondary SPED as IEP-mandated AT for written expression; retired 31 December 2025, functionality integrated into Read&Write (Everway)](https://www.everway.com/education/dj-product-sunset/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Read&Write (Texthelp/Everway) — AI text-to-speech, word prediction, vocabulary support, and PDF annotation; secondary SPED use especially strong for content-area reading (history, science, social studies textbooks) where reading-level gaps block access to grade-level standards (2025)](https://www.everway.com/products/read-and-write-education/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Frontline Special Education Management — IEP compliance platform; secondary use: tracks transition plan timeline compliance (age-16 mandate, annual review, VR coordination documentation) in addition to standard IEP compliance; 10,000+ districts (2025)](https://www.frontlineeducation.com/special-programs/special-ed-software/), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.