Best Child Development Schools Near Wichita, KS (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Wichita, Kansas has 1 accredited school offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $5,083 to $15,242 per year for indexed programs. Wichita has a population of about 396,488. Median household income is $63,072 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 30.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Wichita, KS metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $60,910 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Wichita

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Wichita, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Wichita 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:

  • 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 Wichita. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS 111.5 miles from Wichita
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
67.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,262
Avg net price $19,406/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 163

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Kansas schools on the Kansas child development page.

Child Development Wages Near Wichita

Wichita is part of the Wichita, KS metro area (BLS area code 48620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kansas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $47,920 Wichita, KS $53,903
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $51,190 Wichita, KS $57,582
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $54,310 Wichita, KS $61,091
Childcare Workers $28,210 Wichita, KS $31,732
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $60,910 Wichita, KS $68,515
Social and Human Service Assistants $39,850 Wichita, KS $44,826
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $59,790 Wichita, KS $67,255
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $48,980 Wichita, KS $55,096

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.

Wichita at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 396,488 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $63,072 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 30.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 88.9 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Wichita-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Wichita, KS?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering child development programs near Wichita. The closest is Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa, OK (69.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Northern Oklahoma College (69.9 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying child development roles near Wichita?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Wichita are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($60,910), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($59,790), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($54,310). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Derby instead of Wichita?

Derby, KS is 10.4 miles from Wichita 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 Wichita an affordable place to study child development?

Wichita’s median household income of $63,072 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Wichita while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kansas 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 Wichita

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Wichita:

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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