Best Child Development Schools Near Clayton, NC (2026)

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

Clayton, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $2,756 to $11,230 per year for indexed programs. Clayton has a population of about 28,043. Median household income is $73,348 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 35.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Child, Family, and School Social Workers at a median $62,700 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Clayton

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

Johnston Community College

Smithfield, NC 12.7 miles from Clayton
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
64.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,310
Avg net price $1,776/yr
Tuition
In‑state$2,756
Out‑of‑state$8,900
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 35

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

#2

Wake Technical Community College

Raleigh, NC 14.5 miles from Clayton
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
55.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,769
Avg net price $8,759/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

Raleigh, NC 15.4 miles from Clayton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
84.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,758
Avg net price $17,303/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 152

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Meredith College

Raleigh, NC 16.7 miles from Clayton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,539
Avg net price $22,488/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Wilson Community College

Wilson, NC 31.4 miles from Clayton
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $32,973
Avg net price $3,064/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Durham Technical Community College

Durham, NC 32.7 miles from Clayton
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,142
Avg net price $1,664/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Wayne Community College

Goldsboro, NC 33.3 miles from Clayton
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,148
Avg net price $2,245/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Central Carolina Community College

Sanford, NC 41.2 miles from Clayton
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $33,525
Avg net price $5,446/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Clayton

Clayton is part of the Raleigh-Cary, NC metro area (BLS area code 39580). 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 $36,030 Raleigh-Cary, NC $36,690
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $59,310 Raleigh-Cary, NC $60,397
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $62,700 Raleigh-Cary, NC $63,849
Childcare Workers $28,680 Raleigh-Cary, NC $29,206
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $62,300 Raleigh-Cary, NC $63,442
Social and Human Service Assistants $38,330 Raleigh-Cary, NC $39,033
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $57,410 Raleigh-Cary, NC $58,462
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $60,410 Raleigh-Cary, NC $61,517

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.

Clayton at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 28,043 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $73,348 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 35.6% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.2 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Clayton-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Clayton. The closest is Johnston Community College in Smithfield, NC (12.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Wilson Community College (31.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Clayton are: Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($62,700), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($62,300), Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($60,410). 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 Garner instead of Clayton?

Garner, NC is 10.0 miles from Clayton 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 Clayton an affordable place to study child development?

Clayton’s median household income of $73,348 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Clayton 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 Clayton

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

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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