Best Online Special Education Programs in Dallas, TX (2026)

Dallas, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs, with tuition ranging from $67,040 to $85,606 per year for indexed programs. Dallas has a population of about 1,299,553. Median household income is $67,760 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area, the top-earning special education-related role is Special Education Teacher, Preschool at a median $74,110 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Special Education Schools to Dallas

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

#1

Criswell College

Dallas, TX 0.7 miles from Dallas BOC Score 38.6
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,185
Avg net price $21,630/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX 2.2 miles from Dallas BOC Score 61.9
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 56%
Avg net price $6,420/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Wade College

Dallas, TX 2.2 miles from Dallas BOC Score 48.2
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,657
Avg net price $20,778/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Dallas College

Dallas, TX 2.5 miles from Dallas BOC Score 60.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,714
Avg net price $3,214/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 94

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX 3.7 miles from Dallas BOC Score 73.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 63%
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,354
Avg net price $40,892/yr
Tuition
In‑state$67,040
Out‑of‑state$67,040
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 90%
  • Programs offered: 39

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

#7

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Dallas, TX 4.6 miles from Dallas
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,860
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Bakke Graduate University

Dallas, TX 7.0 miles from Dallas
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Special Education Wages Near Dallas

Dallas is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (BLS area code 19100). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Special Education Teacher, Kindergarten and Elementary School$64,830Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$62,881
Special Education Teacher, Middle School$65,870Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$63,889
Special Education Teacher, Secondary School$66,440Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$64,442
Special Education Teacher, Preschool$74,110Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$71,882

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.


Dallas at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population1,299,553Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$67,760Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+37.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)103.1 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Dallas-Area Cities With Special Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited special education schools are near Dallas, TX?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering special education programs near Dallas. The closest is Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX (3.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of North Texas (36.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying special education-related roles near Dallas are: Special Education Teacher, Preschool ($74,110), Special Education Teacher, Secondary School ($66,440), Special Education Teacher, Middle School ($65,870). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in University Park instead of Dallas?

University Park, TX is 4.2 miles from Dallas 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 Dallas an affordable place to study special education?

Dallas’s median household income of $67,760 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Dallas while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Dallas

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

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.