Best Child Development Schools Near Lexington, SC (2026)

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

Lexington, South Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs. Lexington has a population of about 24,132. Median household income is $83,263 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Columbia, SC metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $60,880 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Lexington

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Lexington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lexington 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 Lexington. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Benedict College

Columbia, SC 11.6 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
16.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,902
Avg net price $18,250/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Columbia College

Columbia, SC 11.6 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
37.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,338
Avg net price $18,408/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 57%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

Voorhees University

Denmark, SC 47.3 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,339
Avg net price $13,335/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Converse University

Spartanburg, SC 77.8 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
42.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,867
Avg net price $23,283/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#5

Anderson University

Anderson, SC 88.9 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,101
Avg net price $23,544/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Bob Jones University

Greenville, SC 89.5 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,354
Avg net price $16,641/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#7

Charleston Southern University

Charleston, SC 95.9 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
35.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,898
Avg net price $21,666/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 63%
  • Programs offered: 66

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Southern Wesleyan University

Central, SC 101.7 miles from Lexington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
48.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,756
Avg net price $15,464/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 68%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

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

Child Development Wages Near Lexington

Lexington is part of the Columbia, SC metro area (BLS area code 17900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Carolina statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $31,510 Columbia, SC $33,629
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $46,510 Columbia, SC $49,637
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $50,610 Columbia, SC $54,013
Childcare Workers $28,850 Columbia, SC $30,790
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $59,360 Columbia, SC $63,351
Social and Human Service Assistants $38,550 Columbia, SC $41,142
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $60,880 Columbia, SC $64,973
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $53,710 Columbia, SC $57,321

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.

Lexington at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 24,132 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $83,263 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 48.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 93.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lexington-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Lexington, SC?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Lexington. The closest is Benedict College in Columbia, SC (11.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Anderson University (88.9 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Lexington are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($60,880), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($59,360), Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($53,710). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Columbia instead of Lexington?

Columbia, SC is 18.4 miles from Lexington 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 Lexington an affordable place to study child development?

Lexington’s median household income of $83,263 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lexington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South 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 Lexington

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

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 South Carolina (2026)