Best Education Schools Near Fort Collins, CO (2026)

Fort Collins, Colorado has 5 accredited schools offering education programs, with tuition ranging from $13,373 to $44,918 per year for indexed programs. Fort Collins has a population of about 169,705. Median household income is $83,598 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 59.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metro area, the top-earning education-related role is Education Administrator, K-12 at a median $131,590 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Education Schools to Fort Collins

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

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

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#1

Colorado State University-Fort Collins

Fort Collins, CO 2.0 miles from Fort Collins
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
69.6 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 89%
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $60,543
Avg net price $21,279/yr
Tuition
In‑state$13,373
Out‑of‑state$34,783
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 144

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Education Wages Near Fort Collins

Fort Collins is part of the Fort Collins-Loveland, CO metro area (BLS area code 22660). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Colorado statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Secondary School Teacher $78,760 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $77,903
Elementary School Teacher $62,930 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $62,245
Middle School Teacher $68,930 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $68,180
Education Teacher, Postsecondary $54,120 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $53,531
Education Administrator, K-12 $131,590 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $130,158
Education Administrator, Postsecondary $107,310 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $106,142
Tutor $46,690 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $46,182
Educational and Career Counselor $65,720 Fort Collins-Loveland, CO $65,005

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.


Fort Collins at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 169,705 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $83,598 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 59.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 101.1 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Education-related employment in Larimer County 2,133 workers, 296 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Fort Collins-Area Cities With Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited education schools are near Fort Collins, CO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering education programs near Fort Collins. The closest is Colorado State University-Fort Collins in Fort Collins, CO (2.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Laramie County Community College (41.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying education roles near Fort Collins?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying education-related roles near Fort Collins are: Education Administrator, K-12 ($131,590), Education Administrator, Postsecondary ($107,310), Secondary School Teacher ($78,760). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Colorado statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Loveland instead of Fort Collins?

Loveland, CO is 9.1 miles from Fort Collins and has its own set of local education programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Fort Collins an affordable place to study education?

Fort Collins’s median household income of $83,598 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fort Collins while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Colorado 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 Education Programs

Other Programs Available in Fort Collins

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

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.