Best Child Development Schools Near Bardstown, KY (2026)

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

Bardstown, Kentucky has 4 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $9,387 to $34,391 per year for indexed programs. Bardstown has a population of about 13,673. Median household income is $49,781 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 24.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $61,630 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Bardstown

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

Kentucky State University

Frankfort, KY 42.1 miles from Bardstown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
40.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 96%
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,382
Avg net price $8,040/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,387
Out‑of‑state$13,658
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Kentucky

Lexington, KY 54.0 miles from Bardstown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
70.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,025
Avg net price $18,851/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,502
Out‑of‑state$34,140
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 217

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Eastern Kentucky University

Richmond, KY 63.3 miles from Bardstown
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
52.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,795
Avg net price $11,040/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,320
Out‑of‑state$21,230
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Berea College

Berea, KY 65.8 miles from Bardstown
  • 4 year
55.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,150
Avg net price $6,106/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Bardstown

Bardstown is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN metro area (BLS area code 31140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kentucky statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $34,360 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN $36,907
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $46,280 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN $49,710
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $59,100 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN $63,480
Childcare Workers $30,150 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN $32,385
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $54,220 KY statewide $58,238
Social and Human Service Assistants $41,880 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN $44,984
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $61,630 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN $66,198
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $60,290 Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN $64,758

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.

Bardstown at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 13,673 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $49,781 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 24.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Bardstown-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Bardstown, KY?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering child development programs near Bardstown. The closest is Kentucky State University in Frankfort, KY (42.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Berea College (65.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Bardstown are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($61,630), Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($60,290), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($59,100). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kentucky statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Elizabethtown instead of Bardstown?

Elizabethtown, KY is 24.4 miles from Bardstown 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 Bardstown an affordable place to study child development?

Bardstown’s median household income of $49,781 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bardstown while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kentucky 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 Bardstown

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

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.

Back to Best Child Development Schools in Kentucky (2026)