Special School District was first established in 1957, when a tax levy was established by voter referendum. A year later, in 1958, the District began educating students.

In 1961, SSD opened Ackerman School in Florissant—the first special education school for the District. Then, five years later, in 1966, SSD began providing technical education to students.

The 1970s brought on many more expansions, including in 1974 when SSD expanded services to students with more profound disabilities and in 1975 when the Federal Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed. It would later be evolve into the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA.

In 1976, SSD began educating preschool-aged children with disabilities. The first work experience training site opened at St. John’s Hospital (now Mercy Hospital) in 1978. In 1984, the United States Congress passed the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act.

The 1990s brought many significant changes to SSD and special education that we still see today, including the District's adoption of the Special Olympics program in 1990. In 1996 the Governing Council for SSD was established, and in 1998 its role expanded to include electing the SSD Board of Education.

Also in 1998, SSD's Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program began. In 2000, SSD and stakeholders developed a comprehensive Partnership Plan. In 2007, the District began its Baldridge program journey, winning the Missouri Quality Award in 2015 and 2019. Also in 2015, North Technical High School was named a Missouri A+ School, and the Educational Partnership Agreement was developed with partner districts throughout St. Louis County.