Shelby, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $2,030 to $18,132 per year for indexed programs. Shelby has a population of about 21,868. Median household income is $50,705 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 26.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In North Carolina, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $60,180 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Child Development Schools to Shelby
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Shelby, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Shelby 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Shelby.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$33,755
Avg net price
$995/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina child development page.
Child Development Wages Near Shelby
| Occupation |
Median Annual Wage (North Carolina, statewide) |
| Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education |
$35,710 |
| Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare |
$57,200 |
| Child, Family, and School Social Workers |
$59,610 |
| Childcare Workers |
$29,140 |
| Special Education Teachers, Preschool |
$60,180 |
| Social and Human Service Assistants |
$42,850 |
| Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education |
$53,180 |
| Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other |
$54,820 |
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.
Shelby at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
21,868 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$50,705 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
26.6% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
Other Shelby-Area Cities With Child Development Programs
- Gaffney, SC – 16.2 mi away (21,692 pop)
- Forest City, NC – 18.8 mi away (25,817 pop)
- Gastonia, NC – 20.3 mi away (178,477 pop)
- Lincolnton, NC – 21.4 mi away (23,264 pop)
- Spartanburg, SC – 32.3 mi away (185,031 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited child development schools are near Shelby, NC?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Shelby. The closest is Cleveland Community College in Shelby, NC (2.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Converse University (31.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying child development roles in North Carolina?
Based on BLS May 2025 state wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles in North Carolina are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($60,180), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($59,610), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($57,200). Wages for Shelby workers will track these statewide medians, adjusted for local cost of living.
Should I look at programs in Gaffney instead of Shelby?
Gaffney, SC is 16.2 miles from Shelby 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 Shelby an affordable place to study child development?
Shelby’s median household income of $50,705 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Shelby 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 Shelby
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Shelby:
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- Taxation programs in Shelby, NC
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- Crime Analysis programs in Shelby, NC
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- Emergency Management programs in Shelby, NC
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- Finance programs in Shelby, NC
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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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