Best Early Childhood Education Schools Near Van Buren, AR

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Van Buren, Arkansas has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $7,810 to $29,966 per year for indexed programs. Van Buren has a population of about 23,545. Median household income is $59,420 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 19.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $59,050 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Van Buren

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Van Buren, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Van Buren 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 Van Buren. 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 Arkansas-Fort Smith

Fort Smith, AR 4.6 miles from Van Buren
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,102
Avg net price $10,574/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR 44.1 miles from Van Buren
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
70.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 74%
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,191
Avg net price $18,209/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,104
Out‑of‑state$29,966
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 142

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

NorthWest Arkansas Community College

Bentonville, AR 63.7 miles from Van Buren
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,505
Avg net price $7,196/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana

Hope, AR 132.0 miles from Van Buren
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
49.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,162
Avg net price $9,270/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Arkansas State University-Beebe

Beebe, AR 141.0 miles from Van Buren
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
49.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 40%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,603
Avg net price $11,698/yr
Tuition
In‑state$3,336
Out‑of‑state$5,232
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Ozarka College

Melbourne, AR 143.9 miles from Van Buren
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
57.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,314
Avg net price $4,543/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of Arkansas Community College-Batesville

Batesville, AR 155.5 miles from Van Buren
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $33,706
Avg net price $8,044/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 34

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Southern Arkansas University Tech

Camden, AR 156.3 miles from Van Buren
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 54%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,376
Avg net price $9,018/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Arkansas schools on the Arkansas early childhood education page.

Early Childhood Education Wages Near Van Buren

Van Buren is part of the Fort Smith, AR-OK metro area (BLS area code 22900). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Arkansas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teacher $40,710 Fort Smith, AR-OK $47,392
Kindergarten Teacher $59,050 Fort Smith, AR-OK $68,743
Preschool and Childcare Center Director $40,420 Fort Smith, AR-OK $47,055
Teaching Assistant $29,370 Fort Smith, AR-OK $34,191

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.

Van Buren at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 23,545 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $59,420 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 19.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 85.9 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Van Buren-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Van Buren, AR?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Van Buren. The closest is University of Arkansas-Fort Smith in Fort Smith, AR (4.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlester (86.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near Van Buren?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Van Buren are: Kindergarten Teacher ($59,050), Preschool Teacher ($40,710), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($40,420). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Arkansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Fort Smith instead of Van Buren?

Fort Smith, AR is 6.9 miles from Van Buren and has its own set of local early childhood education programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Van Buren an affordable place to study early childhood education?

Van Buren’s median household income of $59,420 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Van Buren while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Arkansas 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 Early Childhood Education Programs

Other Programs Available in Van Buren

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

Data verified: September 6, 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 Early Childhood Education Schools in Arkansas (2026)