Best Online Special Education Programs in Granite City, IL (2026)

Granite City, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs. Granite City has a population of about 26,670. Median household income is $60,490 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area, the top-earning special education-related role is Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School at a median $63,190 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Special Education Schools to Granite City

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

#1

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, IL 8.1 miles from Granite City BOC Score 60.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,346
Avg net price $14,889/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

McKendree University

Lebanon, IL 18.7 miles from Granite City BOC Score 47.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,572
Avg net price $24,717/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Principia College

Elsah, IL 19.6 miles from Granite City BOC Score 65.0
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 79%
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Greenville University

Greenville, IL 40.1 miles from Granite City BOC Score 46.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,827
Avg net price $19,533/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 20

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Blackburn College

Carlinville, IL 40.8 miles from Granite City BOC Score 36.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,802
Avg net price $18,460/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Illinois College

Jacksonville, IL 69.6 miles from Granite City BOC Score 58.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,575
Avg net price $18,298/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

University of Illinois Springfield

Springfield, IL 74.3 miles from Granite City BOC Score 65.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,103
Avg net price $9,833/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

St. John's College-Department of Nursing

Springfield, IL 78.8 miles from Granite City BOC Score 97.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $86,331
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Special Education Wages Near Granite City

Granite City is part of the St. Louis, MO-IL metro area (BLS area code 41180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School$63,190St. Louis, MO-IL$66,446
Special Education Teacher, Middle School$58,850St. Louis, MO-IL$61,882
Special Education Teacher, Secondary School$61,160St. Louis, MO-IL$64,311
Special Education Teacher, Preschool$50,920St. Louis, MO-IL$53,544

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.


Granite City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population26,670Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$60,490Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+16.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)95.1 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Granite City-Area Cities With Special Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited special education schools are near Granite City, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs near Granite City. The closest is Saint Louis University in Saint Louis, MO (6.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Webster University (15.3 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying special education roles near Granite City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying special education-related roles near Granite City are: Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School ($63,190), Special Education Teacher, Secondary School ($61,160), Special Education Teacher, Middle School ($58,850). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Collinsville instead of Granite City?

Collinsville, IL is 7.5 miles from Granite City 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 Granite City an affordable place to study special education?

Granite City’s median household income of $60,490 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Granite City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois 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 Granite City

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

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.