Best Child Development Schools Near Waco, TX (2026)

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

Waco, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $58,100 to $74,226 per year for indexed programs. Waco has a population of about 141,925. Median household income is $51,468 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Texas, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $65,680 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Waco

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

Graduation rate 25%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,163

Avg net price $5,051/yr

TuitionContact school for pricing

Contact

1400 College Dr Waco, TX 76708
(254) 299-8622
Visit website

Key stats

Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDS College Scorecard

Acceptance rate 51%

Graduation rate 80%

Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,793

Avg net price $41,104/yr

Tuition

In‑state$58,100

Out‑of‑state$58,100

Contact

1320 S. 7th Street Waco, TX 76798
(254) 710-1011
Visit website

Key stats

Retention rate: 91%
Programs offered: 141

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDS College Scorecard

Child Development Wages Near Waco

Waco is part of the Waco, TX metro area (BLS area code 47380). 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	$29,660	Waco, TX	$32,065
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare	$50,910	Waco, TX	$55,038
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	$53,670	Waco, TX	$58,022
Childcare Workers	$26,760	Waco, TX	$28,930
Special Education Teachers, Preschool	$65,680	TX statewide	$71,005
Social and Human Service Assistants	$41,430	Waco, TX	$44,789
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education	$49,140	Waco, TX	$53,124
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other	$51,590	Waco, TX	$55,773

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.

Waco at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	141,925	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$51,468	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	28.6%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	92.5 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024

Other Waco-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Temple, TX – 33.4 mi away (100,641 pop)
Belton, TX – 38.8 mi away (20,873 pop)
Harker Heights, TX – 43.9 mi away (29,757 pop)
Killeen, TX – 46.2 mi away (243,947 pop)
Copperas Cove, TX – 52.6 mi away (32,808 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Waco. The closest is McLennan Community College in Waco, TX (2.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of North Texas at Dallas (79.3 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Waco are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($65,680), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($53,670), Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other ($51,590). 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 Temple instead of Waco?

Temple, TX is 33.4 miles from Waco 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 Waco an affordable place to study child development?

Waco’s median household income of $51,468 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Waco 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 Waco

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

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)