Best Online Special Education Programs in Zephyrhills, FL (2026)

Zephyrhills, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs, with tuition ranging from $6,410 to $49,329 per year for indexed programs. Zephyrhills has a population of about 18,471. Median household income is $49,295 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 18.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area, the top-earning special education-related role is Special Education Teacher, Preschool at a median $61,380 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Special Education Schools to Zephyrhills

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer special education programs near Zephyrhills, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Zephyrhills 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 Zephyrhills. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Saint Leo University

Saint Leo, FL 8.3 miles from Zephyrhills BOC Score 32.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,364
Avg net price $21,293/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of South Florida

Tampa, FL 18.8 miles from Zephyrhills BOC Score 81.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 43%
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,743
Avg net price $9,812/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,410
Out‑of‑state$17,324
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Florida College

Temple Terrace, FL 19.0 miles from Zephyrhills BOC Score 35.2
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,445
Avg net price $23,931/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Strayer University-Florida

Tampa, FL 20.1 miles from Zephyrhills BOC Score 38.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,092
Avg net price $16,064/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Florida Southern College

Lakeland, FL 20.2 miles from Zephyrhills BOC Score 55.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,294
Avg net price $28,551/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Florida Polytechnic University

Lakeland, FL 21.2 miles from Zephyrhills BOC Score 46.2
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 52%
Avg net price $11,853/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Southeastern University

Lakeland, FL 21.6 miles from Zephyrhills BOC Score 32.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 53%
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,744
Avg net price $31,942/yr
Tuition
In‑state$32,950
Out‑of‑state$32,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Herzing University-Tampa

Tampa, FL 26.4 miles from Zephyrhills BOC Score 50.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,909
Avg net price $20,421/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Special Education Wages Near Zephyrhills

Zephyrhills is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area (BLS area code 45300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School$59,670Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$59,138
Special Education Teacher, Middle School$60,780Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$60,238
Special Education Teacher, Secondary School$60,070Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$59,534
Special Education Teacher, Preschool$61,380Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL$60,833

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.


Zephyrhills at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population18,471Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$49,295Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+18.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Zephyrhills-Area Cities With Special Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited special education schools are near Zephyrhills, FL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs near Zephyrhills. The closest is Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, FL (8.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is St Petersburg College (44.5 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying special education-related roles near Zephyrhills are: Special Education Teacher, Preschool ($61,380), Special Education Teacher, Middle School ($60,780), Special Education Teacher, Secondary School ($60,070). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Plant City instead of Zephyrhills?

Plant City, FL is 16.0 miles from Zephyrhills 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 Zephyrhills an affordable place to study special education?

Zephyrhills’s median household income of $49,295 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Zephyrhills while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida 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 Zephyrhills

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

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.