Best Online Special Education Programs in Apple Valley, MN (2026)

Apple Valley, Minnesota has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs, with tuition ranging from $25,600 to $58,569 per year for indexed programs. Apple Valley has a population of about 55,696. Median household income is $99,277 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 45.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, the top-earning special education-related role is Special Education Teacher, Preschool at a median $80,700 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Special Education Schools to Apple Valley

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

#1

Academy College

Bloomington, MN 9.0 miles from Apple Valley BOC Score 49.7
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 80%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,300
Avg net price $29,093/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 56%
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Bethany Global University

Bloomington, MN 9.0 miles from Apple Valley BOC Score 48.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 76%
Avg net price $37,790/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 44%
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Northwestern Health Sciences University

Bloomington, MN 9.1 miles from Apple Valley BOC Score 64.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,666
Avg net price $35,887/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

St Catherine University

Saint Paul, MN 12.6 miles from Apple Valley BOC Score 61.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,282
Avg net price $19,764/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Macalester College

Saint Paul, MN 13.4 miles from Apple Valley BOC Score 63.9
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 29%
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,878
Avg net price $32,149/yr
Tuition
In‑state$68,104
Out‑of‑state$68,104
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 4

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of St Thomas

Saint Paul, MN 13.7 miles from Apple Valley BOC Score 73.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $73,739
Avg net price $29,155/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Saint Paul, MN 13.9 miles from Apple Valley
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Concordia University-Saint Paul

Saint Paul, MN 14.4 miles from Apple Valley BOC Score 58.8
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 79%
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,871
Avg net price $18,462/yr
Tuition
In‑state$25,600
Out‑of‑state$25,600
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Special Education Wages Near Apple Valley

Apple Valley is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (BLS area code 33460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Minnesota statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School$76,320Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$72,824
Special Education Teacher, Middle School$63,660Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$60,744
Special Education Teacher, Secondary School$79,190Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$75,563
Special Education Teacher, Preschool$80,700Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$77,004

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.


Apple Valley at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population55,696Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$99,277Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+45.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)104.8 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Apple Valley-Area Cities With Special Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited special education schools are near Apple Valley, MN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs near Apple Valley. The closest is Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN (8.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Bethel University (15.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying special education roles near Apple Valley?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying special education-related roles near Apple Valley are: Special Education Teacher, Preschool ($80,700), Special Education Teacher, Secondary School ($79,190), Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School ($76,320). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Minnesota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Burnsville instead of Apple Valley?

Burnsville, MN is 4.1 miles from Apple Valley 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 Apple Valley an affordable place to study special education?

Apple Valley’s median household income of $99,277 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Apple Valley while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Minnesota 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 Apple Valley

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

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.