Best Online Special Education Programs in Gainesville, GA (2026)

Gainesville, Georgia has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs. Gainesville has a population of about 44,051. Median household income is $64,636 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 26.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Georgia, the top-earning special education-related role is Special Education Teacher, Preschool at a median $72,310 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Special Education Schools to Gainesville

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

#1

Brenau University

Gainesville, GA 1.0 miles from Gainesville BOC Score 40.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,003
Avg net price $18,924/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Interactive College of Technology-Gainesville

Gainesville, GA 2.5 miles from Gainesville BOC Score 32.4
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $27,065
Avg net price $16,796/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Lanier Technical College

Gainesville, GA 4.1 miles from Gainesville BOC Score 51.3
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,623
Avg net price $7,799/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 108

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Special Education Wages Near Gainesville

Gainesville is part of the Gainesville, GA metro area (BLS area code 23580). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Georgia statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School$63,650Gainesville, GA$65,754
Special Education Teacher, Middle School$62,730Gainesville, GA$64,804
Special Education Teacher, Secondary School$61,320Gainesville, GA$63,347
Special Education Teacher, Preschool$72,310GA statewide$74,700

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.


Gainesville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population44,051Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$64,636Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+26.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.8 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Gainesville-Area Cities With Special Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited special education schools are near Gainesville, GA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs near Gainesville. The closest is Brenau University in Gainesville, GA (1.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Kennesaw State University (46.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying special education-related roles near Gainesville are: Special Education Teacher, Preschool ($72,310), Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School ($63,650), Special Education Teacher, Middle School ($62,730). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Georgia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Sugar Hill instead of Gainesville?

Sugar Hill, GA is 18.0 miles from Gainesville 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 Gainesville an affordable place to study special education?

Gainesville’s median household income of $64,636 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gainesville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Georgia 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 Gainesville

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.