Best Online Early Childhood Education Programs in Sioux Falls, SD (2026)

Sioux Falls, South Dakota has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $36,710 to $49,783 per year for indexed programs. Sioux Falls has a population of about 197,642. Median household income is $74,714 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Preschool and Childcare Center Director at a median $63,650 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Sioux Falls

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

#1

South Dakota State University

Brookings, SD 53.8 miles from Sioux Falls BOC Score 59.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,070
Avg net price $19,841/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Sinte Gleska University

Mission, SD 196.0 miles from Sioux Falls BOC Score 30.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 12%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $20,948
Avg net price $12,768/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Oglala Lakota College

Kyle, SD 273.3 miles from Sioux Falls BOC Score 26.0
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $22,517
Avg net price $1,895/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Early Childhood Education Wages Near Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls is part of the Sioux Falls, SD-MN metro area (BLS area code 43620). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to South Dakota statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teacher$46,370Sioux Falls, SD-MN$51,181
Kindergarten Teacher$48,490Sioux Falls, SD-MN$53,521
Preschool and Childcare Center Director$63,650Sioux Falls, SD-MN$70,254
Teaching Assistant$28,230Sioux Falls, SD-MN$31,159

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.


Sioux Falls at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population197,642Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$74,714Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+37.4%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)90.6 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Sioux Falls-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Sioux Falls, SD?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Sioux Falls. The closest is Northwestern College in Orange City, IA (50.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Wayne State College (90.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Sioux Falls are: Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($63,650), Kindergarten Teacher ($48,490), Preschool Teacher ($46,370). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with South Dakota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Brookings instead of Sioux Falls?

Brookings, SD is 52.9 miles from Sioux Falls 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 Sioux Falls an affordable place to study early childhood education?

Sioux Falls’s median household income of $74,714 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Sioux Falls while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and South Dakota 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 Sioux Falls

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

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 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.