Best Child Development Schools Near Elizabethtown, KY (2026)

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

Elizabethtown, Kentucky has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $9,387 to $34,391 per year for indexed programs. Elizabethtown has a population of about 31,870. Median household income is $56,250 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Elizabethtown, KY metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Child, Family, and School Social Workers at a median $62,130 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Elizabethtown

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Elizabethtown, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown. 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 65.4 miles from Elizabethtown
  • 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 78.4 miles from Elizabethtown
  • 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 86.2 miles from Elizabethtown
  • 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 87.2 miles from Elizabethtown
  • 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 Elizabethtown

Elizabethtown is part of the Elizabethtown, KY metro area (BLS area code 21060). 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 $34,290 Elizabethtown, KY $37,848
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $44,530 KY statewide $49,150
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $62,130 Elizabethtown, KY $68,576
Childcare Workers $28,940 Elizabethtown, KY $31,943
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $54,220 KY statewide $59,845
Social and Human Service Assistants $34,110 Elizabethtown, KY $37,649
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $60,280 KY statewide $66,534
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $58,150 KY statewide $64,183

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.

Elizabethtown at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 31,870 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $56,250 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 28.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 90.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Elizabethtown-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Elizabethtown. The closest is Kentucky State University in Frankfort, KY (65.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Volunteer State Community College (98.8 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Elizabethtown are: Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($62,130), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($60,280), Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($58,150). 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 Radcliff instead of Elizabethtown?

Radcliff, KY is 8.6 miles from Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown an affordable place to study child development?

Elizabethtown’s median household income of $56,250 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Elizabethtown 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 Elizabethtown

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

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)