Best Child Development Schools Near Charlottesville, VA (2026)

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

Charlottesville, Virginia has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs. Charlottesville has a population of about 45,863. Median household income is $69,829 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 60.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Virginia, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $77,570 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Charlottesville

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

Charlottesville, VA 1.0 miles from Charlottesville
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $86,863
Avg net price $21,565/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 97%
  • Programs offered: 117

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Charlottesville

Charlottesville is part of the Charlottesville, VA metro area (BLS area code 16820). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $37,250 Charlottesville, VA $37,588
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $53,320 VA statewide $53,804
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $59,190 Charlottesville, VA $59,728
Childcare Workers $34,130 Charlottesville, VA $34,440
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $77,570 VA statewide $78,274
Social and Human Service Assistants $44,270 Charlottesville, VA $44,672
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $63,920 VA statewide $64,501
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $57,900 Charlottesville, VA $58,426

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.

Charlottesville at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 45,863 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $69,829 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 60.6% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 99.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Charlottesville-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Charlottesville, VA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Charlottesville. The closest is University of Virginia-Main Campus in Charlottesville, VA (1.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is American Public University System (92.8 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Charlottesville are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($77,570), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($63,920), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($59,190). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Waynesboro instead of Charlottesville?

Waynesboro, VA is 22.7 miles from Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville an affordable place to study child development?

Charlottesville’s median household income of $69,829 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Charlottesville while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia 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 Charlottesville

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

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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