Best Child Development Schools Near Houston, TX (2026)

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

Houston, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $2,490 to $21,293 per year for indexed programs. Houston has a population of about 2,300,419. Median household income is $62,894 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $66,240 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Houston

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

Houston Community College

Houston, TX 3.3 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,254
Avg net price $5,737/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Houston

Houston, TX 5.5 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,377
Avg net price $14,276/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 150

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Houston Christian University

Houston, TX 9.8 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,933
Avg net price $20,629/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Houston

Houston is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (BLS area code 26420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $33,860 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $34,341
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $53,520 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $54,280
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $56,670 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $57,475
Childcare Workers $29,530 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $29,949
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $66,240 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $67,181
Social and Human Service Assistants $46,100 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $46,755
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $65,970 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $66,907
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $50,420 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $51,136

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.

Houston at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 2,300,419 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $62,894 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 36.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Houston-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Houston, TX?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Houston. The closest is Houston Community College in Houston, TX (3.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lee College (25.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Houston are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($66,240), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($65,970), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($56,670). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Pearland instead of Houston?

Pearland, TX is 16.4 miles from Houston 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 Houston an affordable place to study child development?

Houston’s median household income of $62,894 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Houston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Houston

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

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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