Chicago Public Schools / James Ward School / Special Education Teacher
Job-title file
Plan and deliver instruction, assess student progress, and develop curriculum.
7 employees hold this title in James Ward School. Median total compensation for the role is $117,574, below the department median of $124,600.
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. James Ward School pays a median base salary of $89,997 for this role, 21% above that figure — about the 80th 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 James Ward School’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. James Ward School’s median base salary is 18% above that national figure, about the 65th 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.
Median total compensation for this role at James Ward School is $117,574, 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 James Ward School, the median of $117,574 ranks #355 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
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Special Education Teacher/James Ward School
Source-specific fields
Susan Healy is a Special Education Teacher at James Ward School. 2026 total compensation came to $149,741.
Special Education Teacher/James Ward School
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Luisa Payuyao holds the role of Special Education Teacher at James Ward School. In 2026, their total compensation was $131,893.
Special Education Teacher/James Ward School
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Rebecca Garcia works as a Special Education Teacher for James Ward School. Rebecca earned $120,193 in 2026.
Special Education Teacher/James Ward School
Source-specific fields
Julian Amodia holds the role of Special Education Teacher at James Ward School. In 2026, their total compensation was $117,574.
Special Education Teacher/James Ward School
Source-specific fields
Janean Kwan holds the role of Special Education Teacher at James Ward School. In 2026, their total compensation was $108,325.
Special Education Teacher/James Ward School
Source-specific fields
Mackenzie Vander Velde holds the role of Special Education Teacher at James Ward School. In 2026, their total compensation was $105,347.
Special Education Teacher/James Ward School
Source-specific fields
Alicia Ferro holds the role of Special Education Teacher at James Ward School. Their status is 0.5 FTE. In 2026, their total compensation was $65,842.