Best Child Development Schools Near Memphis, TN (2026)

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

Memphis, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs. Memphis has a population of about 629,063. Median household income is $51,211 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $56,780 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Memphis

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

Southwest Tennessee Community College

Memphis, TN 7.4 miles from Memphis
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
35.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,071
Avg net price $4,754/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Memphis

Memphis is part of the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area (BLS area code 32820). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $36,250 Memphis, TN-MS-AR $39,317
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $56,320 Memphis, TN-MS-AR $61,085
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $56,090 Memphis, TN-MS-AR $60,835
Childcare Workers $28,860 Memphis, TN-MS-AR $31,302
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $46,840 Memphis, TN-MS-AR $50,803
Social and Human Service Assistants $40,530 Memphis, TN-MS-AR $43,959
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $56,780 Memphis, TN-MS-AR $61,584
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $49,870 Memphis, TN-MS-AR $54,089

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.

Memphis at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 629,063 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $51,211 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 28.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.2 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Memphis-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Memphis, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Memphis. The closest is Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis, TN (7.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Harding University (99.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Memphis are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($56,780), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($56,320), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($56,090). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Southaven instead of Memphis?

Southaven, MS is 10.6 miles from Memphis 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 Memphis an affordable place to study child development?

Memphis’s median household income of $51,211 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Memphis while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Tennessee 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 Memphis

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

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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