Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School vs Special Education Teachers, Preschool: Salary, Job Outlook & Education | Career Matchup
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Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School vs Special Education Teachers, Preschool

Compare the evidence side by side. Career Matchup shows the source data without declaring an overall winner.

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01 · Compensation

Pay and employment

Median annual wage

2025

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School$65,030
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, Preschool$64,830
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2051

Mean annual wage

2025

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School$71,590
94% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, Preschool$76,380
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2051

Hourly median wage

2025

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle SchoolNot published by BLS

BLS publishes annual wages only for this occupation; hourly estimates are not published.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, PreschoolNot published by BLS

BLS publishes annual wages only for this occupation; hourly estimates are not published.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2051

Hourly mean wage

2025

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle SchoolNot published by BLS

BLS publishes annual wages only for this occupation; hourly estimates are not published.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, PreschoolNot published by BLS

BLS publishes annual wages only for this occupation; hourly estimates are not published.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2051

10th percentile annual wage

2025

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School$49,200
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, Preschool$45,620
93% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2051

25th percentile annual wage

2025

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School$58,690
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, Preschool$52,210
89% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2051

75th percentile annual wage

2025

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School$79,990
87% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, Preschool$91,660
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2051

90th percentile annual wage

2025

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School$101,890
78% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, Preschool$130,040
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2051

National employment

2025

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School16,870
57% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, Preschool29,510
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Release: May 2025 · Reference/year: 2025 · Occupation code: 25-2051

02 · Outlook

Employment outlook

Bars compare the same metric across the two careers. They are not an overall score.

Projected employment change

2025-2035

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School-0.5%
21% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, Preschool2.4%
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 25-2051

Average annual openings

2025-2035

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School1k
50% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, Preschool2k
100% relative comparison

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 25-2051

03 · Preparation

Education and training

Typical entry-level education

2025-2035

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle SchoolBachelor's degree

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, PreschoolBachelor's degree

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 25-2051

Related work experience

2025-2035

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle SchoolLess than 5 years

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, PreschoolNot available

Value missing or suppressed in source.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 25-2051

On-the-job training

2025-2035

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle SchoolNot available

Value missing or suppressed in source.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 25-2023

Special Education Teachers, PreschoolNot available

Value missing or suppressed in source.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Employment Projections
Release: 2025-2035 · Reference/year: 2025-2035 · Occupation code: 25-2051

04 · Context and fit

Work context

Only compatible O*NET scales are compared together. Relative bars preserve the source scale interpretation.

Contact with others

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School4.4 raw · CX scale
85% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool4.6 raw · CX scale
91% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Time pressure

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School3.9 raw · CX scale
71% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool3.2 raw · CX scale
56% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Spend time standing

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School3.4 raw · CX scale
59% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool3.7 raw · CX scale
66% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Exposed to contaminants

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School2 raw · CX scale
25% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool2.1 raw · CX scale
27% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Exposed to disease or infections

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School2.1 raw · CX scale
28% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool2.9 raw · CX scale
48% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Exposed to hazardous equipment

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School1.4 raw · CX scale
9% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool1 raw · CX scale
0% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

04 · Context and fit

Skills

Only compatible O*NET scales are compared together. Relative bars preserve the source scale interpretation.

Learning strategies

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School4.3 raw · LV scale
61% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool4.3 raw · LV scale
61% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Reading comprehension

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School4.3 raw · LV scale
61% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool4 raw · LV scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Speaking

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School4.1 raw · LV scale
59% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool4.1 raw · LV scale
59% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Active listening

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School4 raw · LV scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool4 raw · LV scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Critical thinking

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School4 raw · LV scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool4 raw · LV scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Monitoring

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School4 raw · LV scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool4.1 raw · LV scale
59% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Active learning

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School3.9 raw · LV scale
55% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool4.1 raw · LV scale
59% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Writing

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School3.9 raw · LV scale
55% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool4 raw · LV scale
57% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

04 · Context and fit

Work styles

Only compatible O*NET scales are compared together. Relative bars preserve the source scale interpretation.

Dependability

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School2.6 raw · WI scale
93% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool2.9 raw · WI scale
99% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Attention to detail

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School1.7 raw · WI scale
79% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool2.1 raw · WI scale
84% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Stress tolerance

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School2.1 raw · WI scale
84% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool2.1 raw · WI scale
86% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Cooperation

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School2.2 raw · WI scale
87% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2023.00

Special Education Teachers, Preschool3 raw · WI scale
100% relative

Source: O*NET Resource Center · O*NET Database
Release: 31.0 · Reference/year: August 2026 · Occupation code: 25-2051.00

Explore your next step

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School

Read the full profile, preparation, skills and source details.

Special Education Teachers, Preschool

Read the full profile, preparation, skills and source details.

  • Use the career comparison checklist

Sources

Each side retains the source release, reference period, occupation code, and file hash used for the comparison.

Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release May 2025 · Reference 2025

Occupation code 25-2023 · SHA-256 b5855a37f3e03e779f6fbf173d3bbc94aeeff33426aef32fa95ce6d025bab1af

Employment Projections

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release 2025-2035 · Reference 2025-2035

Occupation code 25-2023 · SHA-256 a7d060f0576f7d4f5b829b9a0bb4a6c11a12766d159ebb0e07aab5bd2e7583c5

O*NET Database

Source-backed

O*NET Resource Center

Release 31.0 · Reference August 2026

Occupation code 25-2023.00 · SHA-256 c63ad00a8e45f3d3ef8e1529fcf8864d2279f2dfcb98737436818f5664781b04

Special Education Teachers, Preschool

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release May 2025 · Reference 2025

Occupation code 25-2051 · SHA-256 b5855a37f3e03e779f6fbf173d3bbc94aeeff33426aef32fa95ce6d025bab1af

Employment Projections

Source-backed

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Release 2025-2035 · Reference 2025-2035

Occupation code 25-2051 · SHA-256 a7d060f0576f7d4f5b829b9a0bb4a6c11a12766d159ebb0e07aab5bd2e7583c5

O*NET Database

Source-backed

O*NET Resource Center

Release 31.0 · Reference August 2026

Occupation code 25-2051.00 · SHA-256 c63ad00a8e45f3d3ef8e1529fcf8864d2279f2dfcb98737436818f5664781b04

Read the data in context

Career Matchup does not declare an overall winner. National estimates can hide local variation, and O*NET relative values describe the named construct rather than whether a career is better.

Career Matchup is an independent comparison tool.

Data sourcesData availabilityAboutFree guideContactPrivacyTermsData: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET® Database.