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2025 Best Special Education Schools in Washington

5 Colleges in Washington
212 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
$52,862 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in special education, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #29 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 5 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Special Education Schools in Washington ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 212 degrees in special education annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Special Education School

Best Special Education Schools in Washington The special ed program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Special Education rankings. We derive our Best Overall Special Education School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Special Education Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Special Ed
Master's Degrees in Special Ed
Doctor's Degrees in Special Ed

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Special Education Schools in Washington ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Special Education in Washington

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the special ed degree levels they offer.

Top Washington Schools in Special Ed

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
7.9% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Western Washington University if you want to pursue a degree in special education. Located in the city of Bellingham, WWU is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 101 special education students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, special ed degree recipients usually earn about $52,912 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in special education from Western Washington University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Special Ed Degrees Awarded
27.3% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Washington - Seattle Campus if you wish to pursue a degree in special education. UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 44 special education students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Those special education students who get their degree from University of Washington - Seattle Campus make $20,687 more than the standard special ed graduate.

More information about a degree in special education from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

3
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In WA

It is hard to beat Gonzaga University if you wish to pursue a degree in special education. Gonzaga is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Spokane. A Best Colleges rank of #195 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Gonzaga is a great university overall.

There were about 16 special education students who graduated with this degree at Gonzaga in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in special education from Gonzaga University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$63,554 Median Starting Salary

Whitworth University is a good option for students pursuing a degree in special education. Located in the suburb of Spokane, Whitworth is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 18th out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 12 special education students who graduated with this degree at Whitworth in the most recent year we have data available. Special Education degree recipients from Whitworth University earn a boost of about $10,692 above the typical earnings of special education graduates.

More information about a degree in special education from Whitworth University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$41,883 Median Starting Salary

EWU is a large public university located in the fringe town of Cheney. This university ranks 16th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 14 special education students who graduated with this degree at EWU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, special ed degree recipients generally earn an average of $41,883 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in special education from Eastern Washington University

Best Special Education Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Special Education Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 2,631
Oregon 266 217
Nevada 192 215
Hawaii 164 49
Alaska 119 27

View All Rankings >

One of 14 majors within the Education area of study, Special Education has other similar majors worth exploring.

Special Ed Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Special Education 201
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs 4
Elementary Special Education 4
Education/Teaching of the Gifted & Talented 3

View All Special Ed Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Special Ed

Related Major Annual Graduates
Teacher Education Grade Specific 4,424
General Education 783
Teacher Education Subject Specific 680
Educational Administration 419
Student Counseling 143
Curriculum & Instruction 85
Educational Assessment 52
Teaching English or French 48
Multilingual Education 21
Teaching Assistants 11

View All Special Ed Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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