Best Online Early Childhood Education Programs in Northampton, MA (2026)

Northampton, Massachusetts has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs. Northampton has a population of about 28,640. Median household income is $78,467 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 61.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $76,740 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Northampton

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

Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA 44.4 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
77.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $103,470
Avg net price $43,071/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Merrimack College

North Andover, MA 82.6 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
65.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,584
Avg net price $37,927/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 82%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth

North Dartmouth, MA 99.6 miles from Northampton
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
56.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,804
Avg net price $20,927/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 64%
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Early Childhood Education Wages Near Northampton

Northampton is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teacher$45,430Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$45,339
Kindergarten Teacher$76,740Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$76,587
Preschool and Childcare Center Director$63,850Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$63,723
Teaching Assistant$39,630Amherst Town-Northampton, MA$39,551

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.


Northampton at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population28,640Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$78,467Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+61.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Northampton-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Northampton, MA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Northampton. The closest is Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, MA (9.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Springfield College-Regional, Online, and Continuing Education (16.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Northampton are: Kindergarten Teacher ($76,740), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($63,850), Preschool Teacher ($45,430). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Holyoke instead of Northampton?

Holyoke, MA is 8.1 miles from Northampton 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 Northampton an affordable place to study early childhood education?

Northampton’s median household income of $78,467 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Northampton while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Massachusetts 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 Northampton

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

Data verified: August 10, 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.