Best Trade Schools in Alhambra, California

Start here to compare accredited trade schools near Alhambra. This guide links to programs, state licensing steps, and related career paths so you can get job-ready quickly in California.


How to Get Started in Alhambra

  • Compare schools and program lengths above
  • Check your state licensing steps: California
  • Explore careers: Skilled trades hub
  • Ask each school about tuition, schedules, and embedded certifications (EPA 608, NCCER, ASE)

Compare Trade Schools Near Alhambra, California

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
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 federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Institute of Culinary Education

Pasadena, CA 4.2 miles away BOC Score 86.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3
  • Annual completions: 349
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,145 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

California State University-Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA 2.2 miles away BOC Score 73.0
Tuition $7,160 - $19,760
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 91.2%
  • Graduation rate: 52.8%
  • Programs offered: 14
  • Annual completions: 902
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $59,756 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Pasadena City College

Pasadena, CA 4.3 miles away BOC Score 71.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 63
  • Annual completions: 1592
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,980 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Platt College-Los Angeles

Alhambra, CA 0.9 miles away BOC Score 54.3
Tuition $14,922 - $32,164
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 62.8%
  • Programs offered: 15
  • Annual completions: 361
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $44,565 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

East Los Angeles College

Monterey Park, CA 3.1 miles away BOC Score 41.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 35.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 53
  • Annual completions: 2902
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $49,823 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

ZMS The Academy

Los Angeles, CA 4.9 miles away BOC Score 32.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 6
  • Annual completions: 212
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $22,119 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Paul Mitchell the School-Pasadena

Pasadena, CA 4.2 miles away BOC Score 24.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 58.5%
  • Programs offered: 5
  • Annual completions: 301
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $28,294 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

BOC Score, tuition, graduation rate, and median graduate earnings from federal IPEDS and U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard data. Earnings are reported across all programs at the school (all majors), not a single trade. Distance is measured from the main population center in California.
#SchoolBOC Score (0–100)TuitionMedian grad earnings (all majors)Graduation rateOnlineDistance
186.0Contact school for pricing$47,145Not reportedYes*4 mi
271.5Contact school for pricing$48,980Not reportedYes*4 mi
354.3$14,922 - $32,164$44,56563%Yes*1 mi
441.4Contact school for pricing$49,82335%3 mi
532.3Contact school for pricing$22,119Not reported5 mi
624.8Contact school for pricing$28,29458%4 mi

Schools closest to the main population center in California are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in California is shown for reference. The BOC Score is an independent measure of school outcomes (graduation, earnings, net price, retention) expressed as a 0–100 percentile within each school's peer group; higher is better and advertising never affects it. *Online availability refers to coursework; hands-on trade training is completed in person. Read the full methodology.

Median Annual Wage by Trade - Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, BLS OEWS May 2025Culinary workers $69990; Phlebotomy technicians $52940; Medical assistants $47760; Nursing assistants $47380; Patient care technicians $47380.Culinary workers$69,990Phlebotomy technicians$52,940Medical assistants$47,760Nursing assistants$47,380Patient care technicians$47,380
Trades ranked by local employment (BLS QCEW); wages are median annual pay (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; metro area where reported, otherwise statewide).
Median annual wage by trade in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
TradeMedian annual wage
Culinary workers$69,990
Phlebotomy technicians$52,940
Medical assistants$47,760
Nursing assistants$47,380
Patient care technicians$47,380
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Alhambra, California
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Alhambra, California (College Scorecard)East Los Angeles College $49823; Pasadena City College $48980; Institute of Culinary Education $47145; Platt College-Los Angeles $44565; Paul Mitchell the School-Pasadena $28294; ZMS The Academy $22119.East Los Angeles College$49,823Pasadena City College$48,980Institute of Culinary Educat...$47,145Platt College-Los Angeles$44,565Paul Mitchell the School-Pas...$28,294ZMS The Academy$22,119
Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard - median earnings of all graduates at each school (not a single program).
Median graduate earnings by school for schools serving Best Trade Schools in Alhambra, California
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
East Los Angeles College$49,823
Pasadena City College$48,980
Institute of Culinary Education$47,145
Platt College-Los Angeles$44,565
Paul Mitchell the School-Pasadena$28,294
ZMS The Academy$22,119

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Alhambra

Among the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $47,380 to $69,990 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Published tuition across the trade-relevant schools serving Alhambra ranges from $14,922 to $32,164 per year (IPEDS and College Scorecard); schools that do not publish a rate are marked “Contact school for pricing” in the table below. Typical medical assistant training runs 9-12 months (certificate or diploma) (TradeCareerPath program data).

Trade Schools in Nearby Cities

California Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Carpenter4.5%
Plumber4.5%
Flooring Installer9.5%
Construction Worker7.3%
Welder2.2%

Construction Management & Inspection

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Construction Manager8.7%
Home Inspector-0.8%

Electrical & Energy Systems

Mechanical, Automotive & Transportation

Healthcare: Administration & Office Support

Therapy, Rehab & Fitness

Animal Care & Training

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Veterinary Technician9.1%
Dog Trainer5.1%
Veterinary Assistant8.7%

Beauty & Personal Care

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Esthetician6.7%
Beauty Professional5.6%
Cosmetologist5.6%

Culinary & Hospitality Careers

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Culinary Chef7.1%
Pastry Chef7.1%

Business & Legal Support

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Digital Court Reporter-0.3%
Paralegal0.2%
Bookkeeper-5.8%

Job growth uses state projections when available and national projections (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034) when state data is unavailable. Median pay for each trade is shown in the comparison table above.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections (2024-2034). Projected U.S. change shown for each trade.


Next Steps


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)