Best Early Childhood Education Schools Near New Orleans, LA

New Orleans, Louisiana has 2 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs. New Orleans has a population of about 376,035. Median household income is $55,339 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 42.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $58,970 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to New Orleans

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near New Orleans, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from New Orleans 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 New Orleans. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Southeastern Louisiana University

Hammond, LA 44.6 miles from New Orleans
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,482
Avg net price $13,154/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Baton Rouge, LA 78.4 miles from New Orleans
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,251
Avg net price $19,151/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 122

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Lafayette, LA 125.4 miles from New Orleans
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
53.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,089
Avg net price $13,530/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 76

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Louisiana State University-Alexandria

Alexandria, LA 166.5 miles from New Orleans
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
41.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,205
Avg net price $7,065/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

McNeese State University

Lake Charles, LA 196.7 miles from New Orleans
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,453
Avg net price $12,493/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Northwestern State University of Louisiana

Natchitoches, LA 220.9 miles from New Orleans
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,021
Avg net price $13,606/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Louisiana Tech University

Ruston, LA 233.8 miles from New Orleans
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,279
Avg net price $11,864/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Louisiana State University-Shreveport

Shreveport, LA 276.3 miles from New Orleans
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 38%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $47,477
Avg net price $7,022/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Early Childhood Education Wages Near New Orleans

New Orleans is part of the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area (BLS area code 35380). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Louisiana statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teacher $42,570 New Orleans-Metairie, LA $45,972
Kindergarten Teacher $58,970 New Orleans-Metairie, LA $63,683
Preschool and Childcare Center Director $48,100 New Orleans-Metairie, LA $51,944
Teaching Assistant $28,560 New Orleans-Metairie, LA $30,842

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.


New Orleans at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 376,035 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $55,339 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 42.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other New Orleans-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited early childhood education schools are near New Orleans, LA?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near New Orleans. The closest is Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA (44.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College (78.4 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near New Orleans?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near New Orleans are: Kindergarten Teacher ($58,970), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($48,100), Preschool Teacher ($42,570). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Louisiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Slidell instead of New Orleans?

Slidell, LA is 17.5 miles from New Orleans 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 New Orleans an affordable place to study early childhood education?

New Orleans’s median household income of $55,339 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in New Orleans while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Louisiana 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 New Orleans

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

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 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.