Quick answer:8 colleges within 100 miles of Santa Cruz, California award a special education degree, the nearest about 26 miles away (IPEDS Completions, 2024).
Special Education Program Access Near Santa Cruz, California
Distance from Santa Cruz
Colleges awarding this degree
Within 25 miles
0
Within 50 miles
4
Within 100 miles
8
Within 250 miles
13
Source: IPEDS Completions, 2024, counting institutions that reported awarding this degree, joined to IPEDS institution coordinates. Distances are straight-line.
There are 4 degree-awarding colleges within 50 miles of Santa Cruz, rising to 8 within 100 miles. The nearest is about 26 miles away, so a hybrid schedule is workable but a daily commute would be a commitment.
Choosing A Special Education Program From Santa Cruz
The subject matter does not change by location: learning differences and disabilities, individualized education programs, behavior support, and inclusive instruction. What changes is how you take it. Ask each college whether the program holds accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor, how much of the coursework is delivered online, and which components require you on campus. Credit transfer is decided by the receiving institution and genuinely varies, so request a written transfer evaluation before you enroll.
Colleges Near Santa Cruz
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 9 schools
within 198 miles, nearest first in 25-mile
distance bands, then by BOC Score inside each band with the highest at the top.
9 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
What Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School Earn in California
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in California earn a median $97,170 per year against $65,120 nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The California median for special education teachers, kindergarten and elementary school is $97,170 per year, above the national median of $65,120, on state employment of 23,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
These are statewide figures. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish wages at city level, so no page can tell you what this job pays in Santa Cruz specifically. For the metro-level picture where it is published, and the full percentile spread, see the California page.
U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Completions, 2024 - institutions awarding this degree, with IPEDS institution coordinates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School (SOC 25-2052)
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
