by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2020-2021, 43,003 people earned their degree in elementary education, making the major the 17th most popular in the United States.
Across the Great Lakes region, there were 5,292 elementary education graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 4,462 elementary education graduates with average earnings and debt of $40,343 and $26,790 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking analyzed 159 colleges that offered a degree in elementary education. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their elementary education program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region”.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend College of Menominee Nation. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region. Keshena, Wisconsin is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 6 students in 2020-2021.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Allegheny Wesleyan College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Allegheny Wesleyan College is located in Salem, Ohio and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Elementary Education at Allegheny Wesleyan
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Trinity Christian College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Trinity Christian is located in Palos Heights, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 48 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% 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%.
Read more about Elementary Education at Trinity Christian College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Wisconsin - Superior. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region. University of Wisconsin - Superior is located in Superior, Wisconsin and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 89 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Blackburn College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Blackburn College is located in Carlinville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.
Wright State University - Lake Campus landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Wright State University - Lake Campus is a small school located in Celina, Ohio that handed out 22 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Elementary Education at Wright State University - Lake Campus
Union Bible College did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #7. Union Bible College is a small school located in Westfield, Indiana that handed out 1 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2020-2021.
Taylor University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Upland, Indiana is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 32 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Greenville University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #9. Greenville University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Greenville, Illinois. It awarded 19 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Elementary Education at Greenville University
Rockford University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Rockford is a small school located in Rockford, Illinois that handed out 19 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Elementary Education at Rockford University
With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - River Falls did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - River Falls is located in River Falls, Wisconsin and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 88 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.
Read more about Elementary Education at University of Wisconsin - River Falls
Eureka College ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Eureka, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.
Purdue University Fort Wayne ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Purdue University Fort Wayne is located in Fort Wayne, Indiana and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 79 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.
Maranatha Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #14. This small school is located in Watertown, Wisconsin, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Elementary Education at Maranatha Baptist University
University of Wisconsin - La Crosse ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This fairly large school is located in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and it awarded 136 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Elementary Education at University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
Calvin University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #16. Calvin University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It awarded 52 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.
Knox College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Knox College is located in Galesburg, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 15 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Wittenberg University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Springfield, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to 19 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Elementary Education at Wittenberg University
Franciscan University of Steubenville came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This small school is located in Steubenville, Ohio, and it awarded 37 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. 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%.
Read full report on Elementary Education at Franciscan University of Steubenville
Oakland City University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Oakland City is located in Oakland City, Indiana and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Elementary Education at Oakland City University
Indiana University - South Bend ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in South Bend, Indiana, this small public school awarded 41 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s elementary teaching students in 2020-2021.
Full Indiana University - South Bend Elementary Education Report
North Central College ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. North Central College is located in Naperville, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 39 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #23, Indiana University - Northwest did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. IU Northwest is a small school located in Gary, Indiana that handed out 30 bachelors’s elementary teaching degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Elementary Education at Indiana University - Northwest
With a ranking of #24, Indiana Wesleyan University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Indiana Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Marion, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.
Full Indiana Wesleyan University Elementary Education Report
With a ranking of #25, Anderson University Indiana did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Bachelor’s Highly Focused on Elementary Teaching Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Anderson University Indiana is a private not-for-profit institution located in Anderson, Indiana. The school has a small population, and it awarded 14 bachelors’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Read more about Elementary Education at Anderson University Indiana
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
