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Best Child Development Schools Near Rapid City, SD (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Rapid City, South Dakota is home to about 76,836 residents. Median household income is $65,712 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In South Dakota, the top-earning child development-related role is Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare at a median $63,240 annually (BLS, May 2025).
Closest Child Development Schools to Rapid City
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Rapid City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Rapid City 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 Rapid City.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Rapid City is part of the Rapid City, SD metro area (BLS area code 39660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Dakota statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education
$46,620
Rapid City, SD
$52,265
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare
$63,240
SD statewide
$70,897
Child, Family, and School Social Workers
$50,490
Rapid City, SD
$56,603
Childcare Workers
$28,330
Rapid City, SD
$31,760
Special Education Teachers, Preschool
N/A
SD statewide
–
Social and Human Service Assistants
$38,440
Rapid City, SD
$43,094
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education
$58,670
Rapid City, SD
$65,774
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other
N/A
SD statewide
–
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.
Rapid City at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
76,836
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$65,712
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
36.4%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
89.2 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the highest-paying child development roles near Rapid City?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Rapid City are: Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($63,240), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($58,670), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($50,490). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Dakota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Is Rapid City an affordable place to study child development?
Rapid City’s median household income of $65,712 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Rapid City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Dakota 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.
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.
