Best Child Development Schools Near Kirkland, WA (2026)

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

Kirkland, Washington has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $4,810 to $20,062 per year for indexed programs. Kirkland has a population of about 91,614. Median household income is $143,533 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 64.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $101,580 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Kirkland

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

Shoreline Community College

Shoreline, WA 8.2 miles from Kirkland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,009
Avg net price $8,585/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Seattle Pacific University

Seattle, WA 8.3 miles from Kirkland
  • 4 year
52.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,506
Avg net price $24,488/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Edmonds College

Lynnwood, WA 10.1 miles from Kirkland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
67.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,144
Avg net price $11,010/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,810
Out‑of‑state$10,875
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Skagit Valley College

Mount Vernon, WA 51.2 miles from Kirkland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,505
Avg net price $6,064/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

South Puget Sound Community College

Olympia, WA 57.9 miles from Kirkland
  • 4 year
59.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,039
Avg net price $9,132/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Whatcom Community College

Bellingham, WA 76.8 miles from Kirkland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
66.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,092
Avg net price $11,795/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, WA 215.5 miles from Kirkland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
59.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 91%
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,897
Avg net price $13,886/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,586
Out‑of‑state$25,959
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 113

Source:Accreditor: Northwest Commission on Colleges and UniversitiesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Washington State University

Pullman, WA 245.8 miles from Kirkland
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,905
Avg net price $14,971/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 157

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Kirkland

Kirkland is part of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area (BLS area code 42660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Washington statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $46,380 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $41,746
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $70,470 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $63,429
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $75,280 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $67,759
Childcare Workers $43,710 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $39,343
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $94,240 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $84,824
Social and Human Service Assistants $58,090 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $52,286
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $101,580 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $91,431
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $70,630 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $63,573

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.

Kirkland at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 91,614 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $143,533 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 64.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 111.1 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Kirkland-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Kirkland, WA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Kirkland. The closest is Shoreline Community College in Shoreline, WA (8.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is South Puget Sound Community College (57.9 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Kirkland are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($101,580), Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($94,240), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($75,280). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Washington statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Redmond instead of Kirkland?

Redmond, WA is 4.0 miles from Kirkland 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 Kirkland an affordable place to study child development?

Kirkland’s median household income of $143,533 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kirkland while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Washington 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 Kirkland

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

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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