Chicago Public Schools / Columbia Explorers Academy / Special Education Teacher
Job-title file
Plan and deliver instruction, assess student progress, and develop curriculum.
14 employees hold this title in Columbia Explorers Academy. Median total compensation for the role is $111,109, above the department median of $102,874.
What the records show
How total compensation varies among the 14 people in this role. Even for one job title, pay differs with seniority, step, overtime, and tenure. Each bar is a pay range; the far-right bar collects the highest earners.
Compared with the local labor market
Across all employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, the median wage for Special Education Teachers, All Other — about 1,550 people — is $74,180. Columbia Explorers Academy pays a median base salary of $88,477 for this role, 19% above that figure — about the 79th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
The bar is the range of annual wages for Special Education Teachers, All Other across every employer in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Columbia Explorers Academy’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Special Education Teachers, All Other — about 33,930 people — is $76,580. Columbia Explorers Academy’s median base salary is 16% above that national figure, about the 63rd percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN range relative to the national one.
Computed over the 13 of 14 people in this role paid at least $25,000in base salary. The rest are part-year or part-time records, whose actual pay isn’t comparable to a full-time annual wage.
Median total compensation for this role at Columbia Explorers Academy is $111,109, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
Special Education Teacher is held in 519 Chicago Public Schools departments. In Columbia Explorers Academy, the median of $111,109 ranks #444 of 519.
Median total compensation for the Special Education Teacher role in other Chicago Public Schoolsdepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
This role is reported in 3 jurisdictions. In Chicago Public Schools, the median of $125,310 ranks #1 of 3. See Special Education Teacher across all of Chicago Public Schools →
Median total compensation for comparable Special Education Teacherroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.
Record list
Page 1
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
Erin Sullivan is a Special Education Teacher at Columbia Explorers Academy. 2026 total compensation came to $158,061.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
Sonia Varela holds the role of Special Education Teacher at Columbia Explorers Academy. In 2026, their total compensation was $137,008.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
At Columbia Explorers Academy, Jenny Kuang serves as a Special Education Teacher. Their 2026 pay totaled $135,250.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
Jane Debatty holds the role of Special Education Teacher at Columbia Explorers Academy. In 2026, their total compensation was $132,910.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
Victoria Varela works as a Special Education Teacher for Columbia Explorers Academy. Victoria earned $118,636 in 2026.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
At Columbia Explorers Academy, Bridget Rodriguez serves as a Special Education Teacher. Their 2026 pay totaled $115,006.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
Zackary Rupp works as a Special Education Teacher for Columbia Explorers Academy. Zackary earned $112,142 in 2026.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
At Columbia Explorers Academy, Claudia Maya serves as a Special Education Teacher. Their 2026 pay totaled $110,075.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
At Columbia Explorers Academy, Junalyn Chua serves as a Special Education Teacher. Their 2026 pay totaled $110,075.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
At Columbia Explorers Academy, Carmen Zapata serves as a Special Education Teacher. Their 2026 pay totaled $101,163.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
Elizabeth Vela works as a Special Education Teacher for Columbia Explorers Academy. Elizabeth earned $99,620 in 2026.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
Elva Contreras works as a Special Education Teacher for Columbia Explorers Academy. Elva earned $97,038 in 2026.
Special Education Teacher/Columbia Explorers Academy
Source-specific fields
Briana Soto Sanchez works as a Special Education Teacher for Columbia Explorers Academy. Briana earned $95,436 in 2026.
Source-specific fields
This Special Education Teacher record at Columbia Explorers Academy for Maria Nunez may represent several individuals, totaling $51,483 in 2026.