Best Online Special Education Programs in Aurora, CO (2026)

Aurora, Colorado has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs, with tuition ranging from $10,383 to $78,476 per year for indexed programs. Aurora has a population of about 390,201. Median household income is $84,320 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 32.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area, the top-earning special education-related role is Special Education Teacher, Preschool at a median $80,950 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Special Education Schools to Aurora

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer special education programs near Aurora, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Aurora city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Aurora. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Pickens Technical College

Aurora, CO 3.5 miles from Aurora BOC Score 55.0
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,210
Avg net price $6,600/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Empire Beauty School-Aurora

Aurora, CO 3.6 miles from Aurora BOC Score 21.7
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $24,022
Avg net price $18,186/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:Accreditor: National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and SciencesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Community College of Aurora

Aurora, CO 4.0 miles from Aurora BOC Score 47.0
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,592
Avg net price $8,656/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,470
Out‑of‑state$17,070
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Pima Medical Institute-Aurora

Aurora, CO 5.6 miles from Aurora BOC Score 43.3
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 62%
Avg net price $23,255/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Bureau of Health Education SchoolsIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Arizona College of Nursing-Aurora

Aurora, CO 6.7 miles from Aurora BOC Score 5.1
  • 4 year
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,657
Avg net price $37,153/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 46%

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Avalon Institute-Aurora

Aurora, CO 6.8 miles from Aurora BOC Score 51.2
  • 2 year
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $24,367
Avg net price $15,856/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:Accreditor: National Accrediting Commission of Career Arts and SciencesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Concorde Career College-Aurora

Aurora, CO 8.0 miles from Aurora BOC Score 63.2
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 90%
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,456
Avg net price $16,666/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Colorado schools on the Colorado special education page.


Special Education Wages Near Aurora

Aurora is part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area (BLS area code 19740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Colorado statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School$79,310Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$74,962
Special Education Teacher, Middle School$76,400Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$72,212
Special Education Teacher, Secondary School$78,450Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$74,149
Special Education Teacher, Preschool$80,950Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$76,512

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Aurora at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population390,201Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$84,320Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+32.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)105.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Aurora-Area Cities With Special Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited special education schools are near Aurora, CO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs near Aurora. The closest is University of Denver in Denver, CO (12.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Colorado Christian University (19.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying special education roles near Aurora?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying special education-related roles near Aurora are: Special Education Teacher, Preschool ($80,950), Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School ($79,310), Special Education Teacher, Secondary School ($78,450). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Colorado statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Denver instead of Aurora?

Denver, CO is 8.7 miles from Aurora and has its own set of local special education programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Aurora an affordable place to study special education?

Aurora’s median household income of $84,320 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Aurora while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Colorado public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Special Education Programs

Other Programs Available in Aurora

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Aurora:

Data verified: July 30, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.