Best Child Development Schools Near Asheville, NC (2026)

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

Asheville, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $2,030 to $18,132 per year for indexed programs. Asheville has a population of about 94,369. Median household income is $67,221 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 52.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Asheville, NC metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare at a median $61,230 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Asheville

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

Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College

Asheville, NC 0.1 miles from Asheville
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
44.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,048
Avg net price $11,602/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Asheville

Asheville is part of the Asheville, NC metro area (BLS area code 11700). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $35,890 Asheville, NC $37,192
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $61,230 Asheville, NC $63,451
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $59,680 Asheville, NC $61,845
Childcare Workers $32,150 Asheville, NC $33,316
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $60,180 NC statewide $62,363
Social and Human Service Assistants $43,110 Asheville, NC $44,674
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $59,980 Asheville, NC $62,155
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $57,020 Asheville, NC $59,088

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.

Asheville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 94,369 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $67,221 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 52.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 96.5 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Asheville-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Asheville, NC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Asheville. The closest is Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College in Asheville, NC (0.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Isothermal Community College (39.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Asheville are: Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($61,230), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($60,180), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($59,980). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Forest City instead of Asheville?

Forest City, NC is 41.8 miles from Asheville 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 Asheville an affordable place to study child development?

Asheville’s median household income of $67,221 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Asheville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Asheville

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

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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