Best Child Development Schools Near Lancaster, TX (2026)

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

Lancaster, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs. Lancaster has a population of about 40,753. Median household income is $67,584 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $74,110 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Lancaster

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

University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX 5.0 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Avg net price $6,420/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Dallas College

Dallas, TX 12.1 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,714
Avg net price $3,214/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 90

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Amberton University

Garland, TX 19.8 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
Graduation rate 39%
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Abilene Christian University-Undergraduate Online

Addison, TX 26.8 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
44.5 BOC Score
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,736
Avg net price $23,698/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 43%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Navarro College

Corsicana, TX 39.1 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
38.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,716
Avg net price $14,820/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Collin County Community College District

McKinney, TX 40.2 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
51.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,701
Avg net price $8,969/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 73

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of North Texas

Denton, TX 48.0 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
65.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,010
Avg net price $15,649/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 138

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX 48.4 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,544
Avg net price $11,963/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 72

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Lancaster

Lancaster is part of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX metro area (BLS area code 19100). 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 $35,190 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $34,132
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $49,390 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $47,905
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $57,080 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $55,364
Childcare Workers $31,110 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $30,175
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $74,110 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $71,882
Social and Human Service Assistants $46,850 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $45,441
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $63,330 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $61,426
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $50,720 Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX $49,195

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.

Lancaster at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 40,753 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $67,584 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 25.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 103.1 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lancaster-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Lancaster. The closest is University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, TX (5.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Tarrant County College District (34.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Lancaster are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($74,110), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($63,330), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($57,080). 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 DeSoto instead of Lancaster?

DeSoto, TX is 5.2 miles from Lancaster 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 Lancaster an affordable place to study child development?

Lancaster’s median household income of $67,584 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lancaster 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 Lancaster

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

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 Texas (2026)