Best Nursing Schools in California (2026)

Quick answer: Certified nursing assistants in California earn a median of $47,630 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited certified nursing assistant schools in California with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Several training options serve certified nursing assistant students in California, from short certificates to longer hands-on programs. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $47,630 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

California Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$47,630BLS OEWS, May 2025
California pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$40,110 to $61,100BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying California metro for this fieldSan Jose, CA, $56,840BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+2.3% growth, about 204,100 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment110,060 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
California location quotient0.65BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Certified nursing assistant Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the California figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

We could not confirm enough colleges teaching this subject within range of this location, so the list below shows nearby institutions instead. Confirm with each school that it offers the program before you apply.

How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention. Advertising plays no part.

This page lists 12 schools, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 12 of them carry a score.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%

Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.

#1

Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health

Los Angeles, CA In-state option BOC Score 83.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 2
  • Annual completions: 40
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $108,804 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Clovis Adult Education

Clovis, CA In-state option BOC Score 74.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 78.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 6
  • Annual completions: 314
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,882 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Butte College

Oroville, CA In-state option BOC Score 67.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 37.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 57
  • Annual completions: 2389
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,432 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

College of the Canyons

Santa Clarita, CA In-state option BOC Score 60.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 44.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 54
  • Annual completions: 1572
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $64,248 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Chaffey College

Rancho Cucamonga, CA In-state option BOC Score 60.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 34.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 62
  • Annual completions: 1320
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $46,799 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Allan Hancock College

Santa Maria, CA In-state option BOC Score 55.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 26.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 53
  • Annual completions: 2518
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,202 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA In-state option BOC Score 55.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 46.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 55
  • Annual completions: 1226
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $57,231 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

American River College

Sacramento, CA In-state option BOC Score 51.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 34.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 70
  • Annual completions: 2354
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $74,069 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#9

Los Angeles Harbor College

Wilmington, CA In-state option BOC Score 45.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 36.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 27
  • Annual completions: 214
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $63,483 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#10

City College of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA In-state option BOC Score 44.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 39.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 87
  • Annual completions: 2534
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $60,859 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#11

Reedley College

Reedley, CA In-state option BOC Score 41.6
Tuition $1,334 - $16,881
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 42.2%
  • Programs offered: 42
  • Annual completions: 881
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $42,644 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#12

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA In-state option BOC Score 24.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 21.6% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 72
  • Annual completions: 1246
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $51,238 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Nursing Assistant Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile, United States - Nursing Assistants
Nursing Assistants annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $33940, P25 $37260, P50 $42260, P75 $47220, P90 $51980.10th$33,94025th$37,26050th (median)$42,26075th$47,22090th$51,980
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Nursing Assistants annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$33,940
25th$37,260
50th (median)$42,260
75th$47,220
90th$51,980
Projected employment growth, United States, Nursing Assistants, 2024-2034
Nursing Assistants employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 1.4415e+06; 2034 projected employment 1.474e+06; percent change +2.3%.20241,441,500 jobs2034 (proj.)1,474,000 jobsChange: +2.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Nursing Assistants employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
20241,441,500
2034 projected1,474,000
Percent change+2.3%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does certified nursing assistant training take in California?

Certified nursing assistant certificate programs in California typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do certified nursing assistants earn in California?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), certified nursing assistants in California earned a median annual wage of approximately $47,630. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $40,110 to $61,100 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many certified nursing assistant schools are in California?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


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)