Best Film Schools Near Lees Summit, MO (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Lees Summit, Missouri has 4 accredited schools offering film programs. Lees Summit has a population of about 89,467. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning film-related role is Special Effects Artists and Animators at a median $69,820 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Film Schools to Lees Summit

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer film programs near Lees Summit, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Lees Summit 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 Lees Summit. 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

University of Missouri-Kansas City

Kansas City, MO 13.5 miles from Lees Summit
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
64.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,637
Avg net price $13,310/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 103

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Kansas City Art Institute

Kansas City, MO 14.0 miles from Lees Summit
  • 4 year
30.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,032
Avg net price $27,650/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Missouri Western State University

Saint Joseph, MO 61.9 miles from Lees Summit
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
37.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,647
Avg net price $13,251/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 56%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Missouri-Columbia

Columbia, MO 110.3 miles from Lees Summit
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
75.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,403
Avg net price $20,268/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 156

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Stephens College

Columbia, MO 110.9 miles from Lees Summit
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
50.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,071
Avg net price $23,459/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 24

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Missouri State University-Springfield

Springfield, MO 132.9 miles from Lees Summit
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
56.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,827
Avg net price $17,613/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 78%
  • Programs offered: 200

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO 209.0 miles from Lees Summit
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
50.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,278
Avg net price $19,638/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Webster University

Saint Louis, MO 218.7 miles from Lees Summit
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
42.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $50,876
Avg net price $27,047/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 105

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Film Wages Near Lees Summit

Lees Summit is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Film and Video Editors $60,200 Kansas City, MO-KS $65,081
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $61,150 Kansas City, MO-KS $66,108
Producers and Directors $66,470 Kansas City, MO-KS $71,859
Special Effects Artists and Animators $69,820 Kansas City, MO-KS $75,481
Audio and Video Technicians $50,300 Kansas City, MO-KS $54,378
Sound Engineering Technicians $61,750 MO statewide $66,757
Writers and Authors $67,230 Kansas City, MO-KS $72,681
Graphic Designers $59,990 Kansas City, MO-KS $64,854

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.

Lees Summit at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.5 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lees Summit-Area Cities With Film Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Lees Summit, MO?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering film programs near Lees Summit. The closest is University of Missouri-Kansas City in Kansas City, MO (13.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Missouri Western State University (61.9 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Lees Summit?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Lees Summit are: Special Effects Artists and Animators ($69,820), Writers and Authors ($67,230), Producers and Directors ($66,470). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Raytown instead of Lees Summit?

Raytown, MO is 6.9 miles from Lees Summit and has its own set of local film programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

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 Film Programs

Other Programs Available in Lees Summit

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

Data verified: September 5, 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.

Back to Best Film Schools in Missouri: Online Programs (2026)