Best Online Teaching Schools Near Johnston, IA (2026)

Updated September 7, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Johnston, Iowa has 2 accredited schools offering online teaching programs, with tuition ranging from $9,936 to $22,278 per year for indexed programs. Johnston has a population of about 24,196. Median household income is $103,430 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, the top-earning online teaching-related role is Training and Development Managers at a median $120,640 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Online Teaching Schools to Johnston

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

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

Sort:
#1

Iowa State University

Ames, IA 23.8 miles from Johnston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,386
Avg net price $18,589/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 169

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, IA 86.3 miles from Johnston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
68.9 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,177
Avg net price $15,901/yr
Tuition
In‑state$9,936
Out‑of‑state$21,712
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 116

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad
#3

Buena Vista University

Storm Lake, IA 101.0 miles from Johnston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,156
Avg net price $18,846/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Waldorf University

Forest City, IA 109.1 miles from Johnston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
36.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 77%
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,165
Avg net price $19,693/yr
Tuition
In‑state$25,978
Out‑of‑state$25,978
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 48%
  • Programs offered: 30

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

Sponsored Ad

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Iowa schools on the Iowa online teaching page.

Online Teaching Wages Near Johnston

Johnston is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area (BLS area code 19780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Instructional Coordinators $76,600 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $83,533
Training and Development Specialists $74,610 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $81,363
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $61,650 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $67,230
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $62,480 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $68,135
Education Teachers, Postsecondary $48,090 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $52,443
Training and Development Managers $120,640 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $131,559
Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary $62,420 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $68,070
Librarians and Media Collections Specialists $75,960 Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA $82,835

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.

Johnston at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 24,196 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $103,430 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 57.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 91.7 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Johnston-Area Cities With Online Teaching Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited online teaching schools are near Johnston, IA?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering online teaching programs near Johnston. The closest is Iowa State University in Ames, IA (23.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Northern Iowa (86.3 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying online teaching roles near Johnston?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying online teaching-related roles near Johnston are: Training and Development Managers ($120,640), Instructional Coordinators ($76,600), Librarians and Media Collections Specialists ($75,960). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Urbandale instead of Johnston?

Urbandale, IA is 4.6 miles from Johnston and has its own set of local online teaching programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Johnston an affordable place to study online teaching?

Johnston’s median household income of $103,430 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Johnston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa 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 Online Teaching Programs

Other Programs Available in Johnston

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

Data verified: September 7, 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 Online Teaching Schools in Iowa: Online Programs (2026)