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Special Education Teachers, Middle School

Teach academic, social, and life skills to middle school 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.

Also called: ED SPED Teacher (Emotional Disabilities Special Education Teacher), Interrelated SPED Teacher (Interrelated Special Education Teacher), Learning Disabilities Teacher (LD Teacher), Learning Support Teacher, Middle School Resource Teacher, MS SPED Teacher (Middle School Special Education Teacher)

Median pay in Greater Boston
$81,620
Jobs in Greater Boston
2,150
Massachusetts 2024–2034
+1.9%
200 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
Bachelor's degree

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$59,790$69,880$81,620$101,820$108,930

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Develop or write Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students.
  • Establish and enforce rules for behavior and policies and procedures to maintain order among students.
  • Develop and implement strategies to meet the needs of students with a variety of handicapping conditions.
  • Prepare materials and classrooms for class activities.
  • Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, and food preparation.
  • Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification and positive reinforcement.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure75 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 86
  • Language-model AIOE 88
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 50

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is higher, and observed AI use is some. AI tools can help draft paperwork such as IEPs and prepare class materials. Teaching daily living skills, building trust, and keeping order are done by people, and teachers still decide what each student needs.

Likely to change

  • Drafting and organizing IEP paperwork
  • Preparing classroom materials and activities

Still relies on people

  • Teaching daily living skills hands-on
  • Deciding what each student truly needs

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

Related jobs that build on what you already do.

  • Special Education Teachers, Secondary School

    Your IEP, records, and behavior skills carry over to older students. Boston median pay is higher at $87,630, and growth is projected at 2.2%.

    Pay difference
    +$6,010 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
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    To get started
    Bachelor's degree

  • Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School

    Your skills in adapting teaching and managing a classroom carry over. It has lower AI exposure and a Boston median pay of $101,250.

    Pay difference
    +$19,630 median
    AI exposure
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    MA growth
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    Bachelor's degree

  • Registered Nurses

    Caring for people with varied needs and keeping careful records carry over. It requires a bachelor's degree and has a Boston median pay of $106,180.

    Pay difference
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    AI exposure
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    MA growth
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    To get started
    Bachelor's degree

Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

12 programs near Boston (plus 22 graduate)

Related occupations

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