Fort Smith, Arkansas has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $8,674 to $29,966 per year for indexed programs. Fort Smith has a population of about 89,496. Median household income is $52,692 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $59,050 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Child Development Schools to Fort Smith
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Fort Smith, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fort Smith 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Fort Smith.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
74%
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$58,191
Avg net price
$18,209/yr
TuitionIn‑state$10,104
Out‑of‑state$29,966
Key stats
- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 142
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$30,037
Avg net price
$4,842/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
96%
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$41,766
Avg net price
$12,970/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,674
Out‑of‑state$14,668
Key stats
- Retention rate: 73%
- Programs offered: 118
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,505
Avg net price
$7,196/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$34,924
Avg net price
$8,725/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$34,722
Avg net price
$14,327/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
12%
Avg net price
$14,060/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$29,314
Avg net price
$4,543/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Arkansas schools on the Arkansas child development page.
Child Development Wages Near Fort Smith
Fort Smith is part of the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area (BLS area code 22900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arkansas statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education |
$40,710 |
Fort Smith, AR-OK |
$47,392 |
| Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare |
$40,420 |
Fort Smith, AR-OK |
$47,055 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers |
$42,990 |
Fort Smith, AR-OK |
$50,047 |
| Childcare Workers |
$27,940 |
Fort Smith, AR-OK |
$32,526 |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool |
$35,580 |
AR statewide |
$41,420 |
| Social and Human Service Assistants |
$32,390 |
Fort Smith, AR-OK |
$37,707 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education |
$59,050 |
Fort Smith, AR-OK |
$68,743 |
| Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other |
$40,840 |
AR statewide |
$47,544 |
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.
Fort Smith at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
89,496 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$52,692 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
25.3% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
85.9 (below U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Fort Smith-Area Cities With Child Development Programs
- Van Buren, AR – 6.9 mi away (23,367 pop)
- Fayetteville, AR – 51.2 mi away (336,152 pop)
- Siloam Springs, AR – 58.4 mi away (21,136 pop)
- Springdale, AR – 59.3 mi away (78,557 pop)
- Muskogee, OK – 61.8 mi away (41,117 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited child development schools are near Fort Smith, AR?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Fort Smith. The closest is University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, AR (50.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Arkansas Tech University (69.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying child development roles near Fort Smith?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Fort Smith are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($59,050), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($42,990), Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($40,840). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arkansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Van Buren instead of Fort Smith?
Van Buren, AR is 6.9 miles from Fort Smith and has its own set of local child development programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Fort Smith an affordable place to study child development?
Fort Smith’s median household income of $52,692 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Smith while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arkansas 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 Child Development Programs
Other Programs Available in Fort Smith
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- Healthcare Administration programs in Fort Smith, AR
- Social Work programs in Fort Smith, AR
- Counseling programs in Fort Smith, AR
Data verified: September 5, 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.
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