Best Child Development Schools Near Appleton, WI (2026)

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

Appleton, Wisconsin has 3 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $35,470 to $53,315 per year for indexed programs. Appleton has a population of about 74,873. Median household income is $77,450 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In Wisconsin, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $60,870 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Appleton

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

Stevens Point, WI 60.9 miles from Appleton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
58.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,021
Avg net price $14,559/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 106

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Concordia University-Wisconsin

Mequon, WI 74.6 miles from Appleton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
47.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 78%
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,075
Avg net price $36,201/yr
Tuition
In‑state$35,470
Out‑of‑state$35,470
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 106

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Madison, WI 97.3 miles from Appleton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $73,792
Avg net price $17,354/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 246

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Wisconsin-Stout

Menomonie, WI 178.9 miles from Appleton
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,084
Avg net price $17,490/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 72

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near Appleton

Appleton is part of the Appleton, WI metro area (BLS area code 11540). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Wisconsin statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $34,500 Appleton, WI $37,338
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $59,240 Appleton, WI $64,113
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $59,840 Appleton, WI $64,762
Childcare Workers $31,140 Appleton, WI $33,701
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $60,870 WI statewide $65,877
Social and Human Service Assistants $48,260 Appleton, WI $52,229
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $60,800 Appleton, WI $65,801
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $55,220 WI statewide $59,762

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.

Appleton at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 74,873 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $77,450 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 37.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.4 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Appleton-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Appleton, WI?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering child development programs near Appleton. The closest is University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in Stevens Point, WI (60.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Wisconsin-Madison (97.3 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Appleton are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($60,870), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($60,800), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($59,840). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Wisconsin statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Neenah instead of Appleton?

Neenah, WI is 8.7 miles from Appleton 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 Appleton an affordable place to study child development?

Appleton’s median household income of $77,450 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Appleton while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Wisconsin 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 Appleton

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

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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