Lexington, Kentucky has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $13,136 to $34,391 per year for indexed programs. Lexington has a population of about 312,495. In the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $63,950 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Lexington
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Lexington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lexington 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Lexington.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
93%
Graduation rate
71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,025
Avg net price
$18,851/yr
TuitionIn‑state$13,502
Out‑of‑state$34,140
Key stats- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 76
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Kentucky schools on the Kentucky early childhood education page.
Early Childhood Education Wages Near Lexington
Lexington is part of the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area (BLS area code 30460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kentucky statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Preschool Teacher | $29,370 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $31,615 |
| Kindergarten Teacher | $63,950 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $68,837 |
| Preschool and Childcare Center Director | $45,650 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $49,139 |
| Teaching Assistant | $39,960 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $43,014 |
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.
Lexington at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 92.9 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Lexington-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs
- Nicholasville, KY – 12.0 mi away (30,052 pop)
- Georgetown, KY – 13.5 mi away (35,353 pop)
- Winchester, KY – 14.9 mi away (25,961 pop)
- Richmond, KY – 23.8 mi away (39,267 pop)
- Frankfort, KY – 24.4 mi away (39,034 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Lexington, KY?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Lexington. The closest is University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY (2.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Cincinnati-Clermont College (73.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near Lexington?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Lexington are: Kindergarten Teacher ($63,950), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($45,650), Teaching Assistant ($39,960). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kentucky statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Nicholasville instead of Lexington?
Nicholasville, KY is 12.0 miles from Lexington 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.
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
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Data verified: July 30, 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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