Durham, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs. Durham has a population of about 288,465. Median household income is $79,234 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 55.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Preschool and Childcare Center Director at a median $58,590 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Durham
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Durham, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Durham 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 Durham.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$36,142
Avg net price
$1,664/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina early childhood education page.
Early Childhood Education Wages Near Durham
Durham is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill, NC metro area (BLS area code 20500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Preschool Teacher |
$36,600 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$37,500 |
| Kindergarten Teacher |
$50,320 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$51,557 |
| Preschool and Childcare Center Director |
$58,590 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$60,031 |
| Teaching Assistant |
$29,090 |
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC |
$29,805 |
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.
Durham at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
288,465 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$79,234 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
55.7% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
97.6 (below U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Durham-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs
- Chapel Hill, NC – 8.4 mi away (59,246 pop)
- Morrisville, NC – 10.7 mi away (24,732 pop)
- Carrboro, NC – 10.9 mi away (21,265 pop)
- Cary, NC – 14.6 mi away (162,320 pop)
- Apex, NC – 17.8 mi away (47,349 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Durham, NC?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Durham. The closest is Durham Technical Community College in Durham, NC (1.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Wake Technical Community College (25.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near Durham?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Durham are: Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($58,590), Kindergarten Teacher ($50,320), Preschool Teacher ($36,600). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Chapel Hill instead of Durham?
Chapel Hill, NC is 8.4 miles from Durham 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 Durham an affordable place to study early childhood education?
Durham’s median household income of $79,234 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Durham while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina 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 Durham
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Durham:
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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.
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