2027 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in Colorado
[Early Childhood Education](/majors/education/teacher-education-development-levels-methods/early-childhood-education/) programs reward a close look at where your money goes furthest. The schools below stand out for delivering a strong early childhood education education at a price that pays off.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 21 schools on the balance of cost and outcomes for early childhood education students.
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2027 Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools in Colorado
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in early childhood education, balancing cost against outcomes.
Best Value Early Childhood Education Schools
Colorado Mountain College earned the #1 spot for value among early childhood education schools in Colorado. Located in the town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado Mountain College is a moderately-sized public university. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $2,616, with out-of-state students paying around $12,840. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $12,953 in student loans. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Colorado Mountain College generally make around $48,694. That is a strong return on a $12,953 median debt.
Students looking for strong value in early childhood education will find it at Pikes Peak Community College, which ranked #2. Located in the suburb of Colorado Springs, Pikes Peak Community College is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,510, with out-of-state students paying around $17,110. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $16,066. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $41,037. That is a strong return on a $16,066 median debt.
Community College Of Aurora is a great value for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, landing the #3 spot this year. Located in the city of Aurora, Community College Of Aurora is a large public university. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,470, while out-of-state students pay about $17,070. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $15,365 in student loans. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Community College Of Aurora generally make around $38,587. That is a strong return on a $15,365 median debt.
Red Rocks Community College is a great value for students pursuing a degree in early childhood education, landing the #4 spot this year. Red Rocks Community College is a large public school located in the suburb of Lakewood. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,859, with out-of-state students paying around $17,459. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $14,471 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of Red Rocks Community College earn a median of $76,340 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $14,471 median debt.
The strong cost-to-outcome balance at Community College Of Denver earned it the #5 place for early childhood education. Located in the city of Denver, Community College Of Denver is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $5,058, with out-of-state students paying around $17,658. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $14,375 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of Community College Of Denver earn a median of $18,399 early in their careers. Set against $14,375 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Morgan Community College landed the #6 spot for early childhood education value this year. Morgan Community College is a mid-sized public school located in the rural area of Fort Morgan. The average in-state cost of tuition and fees is $4,252, compared with $16,852 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $11,746. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Morgan Community College generally make around $70,412. That is a strong return on a $11,746 median debt.
Trinidad State Junior College came in at #7 for value in early childhood education this year. Trinidad State Junior College is a mid-sized public school located in the town of Trinidad. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,608, while out-of-state students pay about $7,318. Students borrow a median of $10,502 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of Trinidad State Junior College earn a median of $53,086 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $10,502 median debt.
Aims Community College came in at #8 for value in early childhood education this year. Set in the city of Greeley, Aims Community College is a large public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $2,258, with out-of-state students paying around $11,786. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $11,199. Early Childhood Education graduates of Aims Community College earn a median of $45,909 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Arapahoe Community College landed the #9 spot for early childhood education value this year. Set in the suburb of Littleton, Arapahoe Community College is a very large public institution. Expect in-state tuition and fees of around $4,434, while out-of-state students pay about $17,034. Students borrow a median of $20,448 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of Arapahoe Community College earn a median of $47,579 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $20,448 median debt.
University Of Colorado Denver ranked #10 on our 2027 list of the best value early childhood education schools. University Of Colorado Denver is a very large public school located in the city of Denver. Students from in state pay about $10,383 in tuition and fees, compared with $29,391 for out-of-state students. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $26,582 in student loans. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $51,947. Set against $26,582 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff. University Of Colorado Denver admits about 75% of applicants.
Pueblo Community College placed #11 among the best values for early childhood education. Located in the city of Pueblo, Pueblo Community College is a moderately-sized public university. In-state tuition and fees average $5,049, compared with $17,649 for out-of-state students. Typical student debt for early childhood education graduates is $10,750. Early Childhood Education graduates of Pueblo Community College earn a median of $26,812 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value.
Colorado Northwestern Community College ranked #12 on our 2027 list of the best value early childhood education schools. Set in the rural area of Rangely, Colorado Northwestern Community College is a small public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $4,594, with out-of-state students paying around $7,304. Students borrow a median of $18,127 to complete the early childhood education program here. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Colorado Northwestern Community College generally make around $56,978. Set against $18,127 in median debt, that is a healthy payoff.
Front Range Community College earned the #13 position for value in early childhood education this year. Set in the suburb of Westminster, Front Range Community College is a very large public institution. Students from in state pay about $4,663 in tuition and fees, compared with $17,263 for out-of-state students. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $16,150 in student loans. Soon after graduation, early childhood education degree recipients from Front Range Community College generally make around $29,749. That is a strong return on a $16,150 median debt.
Northeastern Junior College came in at #14 for value in early childhood education this year. Set in the town of Sterling, Northeastern Junior College is a small public institution. In-state tuition and fees average $5,730, compared with $8,267 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $13,156 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $38,543. That is a strong return on a $13,156 median debt.
Mesa State College earned the #15 position for value in early childhood education this year. Located in the city of Grand Junction, Mesa State College is a large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $9,927, while out-of-state students pay about $25,124. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $22,310 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of Mesa State College earn a median of $43,617 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $22,310 median debt. Mesa State College admits about 82% of applicants.
Metropolitan State College Of Denver placed #16 among the best values for early childhood education. Located in the city of Denver, Metropolitan State College Of Denver is a very large public university. Students from in state pay about $11,124 in tuition and fees, compared with $30,684 for out-of-state students. Students borrow a median of $27,551 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $40,681. That is a strong return on a $27,551 median debt. Metropolitan State College Of Denver admits about 99% of applicants.
University Of Colorado At Colorado Springs ranked #17 on our 2027 list of the best value early childhood education schools. University Of Colorado At Colorado Springs is a large public school located in the city of Colorado Springs. In-state tuition and fees average $10,906, while out-of-state students pay about $25,039. Students borrow a median of $25,040 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $40,198. That is a strong return on a $25,040 median debt. University Of Colorado At Colorado Springs admits about 97% of applicants.
Fort Lewis College earned the #18 position for value in early childhood education this year. Located in the town of Durango, Fort Lewis College is a mid-sized public university. Students from in state pay about $9,958 in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay about $21,526. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $18,888 in student loans. Early Childhood Education graduates of Fort Lewis College earn a median of $30,676 early in their careers. That is a strong return on a $18,888 median debt. Roughly 77% of applicants are accepted.
University Of Northern Colorado came in at #19 for value in early childhood education this year. Located in the city of Greeley, University Of Northern Colorado is a large public university. Students from in state pay about $11,901 in tuition and fees, compared with $26,979 for out-of-state students. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $25,906 in student loans. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $40,614. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. The acceptance rate is 86%.
Colorado State University Fort Collins ranked #20 on our 2027 list of the best value early childhood education schools. Located in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State University Fort Collins is a very large public university. In-state tuition and fees average $13,373, while out-of-state students pay about $35,061. Students borrow a median of $22,843 to complete the early childhood education program here. Early Childhood Education graduates of Colorado State University Fort Collins earn a median of $51,693 early in their careers. Weighed against typical debt, the earnings make a compelling case for value. Roughly 88% of applicants are accepted.
Colorado Christian University came in at #21 for value in early childhood education this year. Located in the suburb of Lakewood, Colorado Christian University is a large private not-for-profit university. In-state tuition and fees average $28,846. Early Childhood Education graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans. Early-career early childhood education graduates make about $40,448. That is a strong return on a $27,000 median debt.
More Early Childhood Education Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 21 schools evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 21 ranked schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
