by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 32,920 people earned their degree in early childhood education, making the major the 34th most popular in the United States.
This year’s “Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major” ranking analyzed 1,022 colleges that offered a degree in early childhood education. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in early childhood education.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.
The colleges and universities below are the best for child development students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Urban College of Boston. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. Urban College of Boston is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Boston, Massachusetts. It awarded 101 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Urban College of Boston Early Childhood Education Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Erikson Institute. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. The Erikson Institute is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 70 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at The Erikson Institute
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Augustine College. The school came in at #3 for the Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major. Saint Augustine College is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Rochester University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. This small school is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and it awarded 67 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Pacific Oaks College. The school came in at #5 for the Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major. Pasadena, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 106 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Dewey University - Carolina ranked #6 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. This small school is located in Carolina, , and it awarded 13 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Dewey University - Carolina
American Jewish University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. American Jewish University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 26 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Tohono O’Odham Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. Located in Sells, Arizona, this small public school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
Full Tohono O’Odham Community College Early Childhood Education Report
With a ranking of #9, Bay Mills Community College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. BMCC is located in Brimley, Michigan and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
Full Bay Mills Community College Early Childhood Education Report
Dewey University - Hato Rey came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. This small school is located in Hato Rey, , and it awarded 22 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Dewey University - Hato Rey
The University of Montana - Western ranked #11 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. The University of Montana - Western is located in Dillon, Montana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 60 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
National Louis University ranked #12 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. NLU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 315 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Bacone College landed the #13 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. Bacone College is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Muskogee, Oklahoma. It awarded 5 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #14, Northwestern College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. NWC is located in Orange City, Iowa and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 51 ’s child development degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Northwestern College
University of Maine at Farmington did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking, coming in at #15. UMaine Farmington is a small school located in Farmington, Maine that handed out 53 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at UMaine Farmington
Davis College ranked #16 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. Toledo, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
With a ranking of #17, Welch College did quite well on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. Welch is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Gallatin, Tennessee. It awarded 9 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Welch College
Community College of Vermont landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. CCV is a public institution located in Montpelier, Vermont. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 54 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Community College of Vermont Early Childhood Education Report
Bank Street College of Education came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. Located in New York, New York, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 49 degrees to qualified ’s child development students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Full Bank Street College of Education Early Childhood Education Report
Northern New Mexico College ranked #21 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. Northern New Mexico College is a small school located in Espanola, New Mexico that handed out 21 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Early Childhood Education at Northern New Mexico College
Brewton - Parker College landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. Mount Vernon, Georgia is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s child development degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Early Childhood Education at Brewton - Parker College
Chestnut Hill College ranked #23 on this year’s Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major list. This small school is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 39 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Martin Luther College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking. This small school is located in New Ulm, Minnesota, and it awarded 23 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
University of New Mexico - Valencia County Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools Highly Focused on Child development Major ranking, coming in at #25. UNM Valencia is a small school located in Los Lunas, New Mexico that handed out 10 ’s child development degrees in 2020-2021.
Full University of New Mexico - Valencia County Campus Early Childhood Education Report
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Notre Dame College | Cleveland, OH |
| 52 | Luna Community College | Las Vegas, NM |
| 53 | Salish Kootenai College | Pablo, MT |
| 54 | Carlow University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 55 | Mount Vernon Nazarene University | Mount Vernon, OH |
| 56 | Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute | Albuquerque, NM |
| 57 | Northeast Lakeview College | Universal City, TX |
| 58 | Housatonic Community College | Bridgeport, CT |
| 59 | Sitting Bull College | Fort Yates, ND |
| 60 | Odessa College | Odessa, TX |
| 61 | Muskingum University | New Concord, OH |
| 62 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 63 | California State University - Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA |
| 64 | Haywood Community College | Clyde, NC |
| 65 | Dawson Community College | Glendive, MT |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 141 | Central Methodist University - College of Graduate & Extended Studies | Fayette, MO |
| 142 | Edgecombe Community College | Tarboro, NC |
| 143 | American College of Education | Indianapolis, IN |
| 144 | Granite State College | Concord, NH |
| 145 | Baptist Bible College | Springfield, MO |
| 146 | Southern Arkansas University Main Campus | Magnolia, AR |
| 147 | Wisconsin Lutheran College | Milwaukee, WI |
| 148 | La Roche University | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 149 | Lebanon Valley College | Annville, PA |
| 150 | Mayville State University | Mayville, ND |
| 151 | Brooklyn College | Brooklyn, NY |
| 152 | Saint Francis University | Loretto, PA |
| 153 | Harrisburg Area Community College | Harrisburg, PA |
| 154 | Saint Vincent College | Latrobe, PA |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
