Best Trade Schools in Lemon Grove, California

Start here to compare accredited trade schools near Lemon Grove. 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 Lemon Grove

  • 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 Lemon Grove, California

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 8 schools within 4 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 7 of them carry a score. 1 does not have enough federal outcome data to score, and appears last rather than being hidden.

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

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA 3.6 miles away BOC Score 83.7
Tuition $8,728 - $27,780
Contact
Key stats
  • Admission rate: 36.2%
  • Graduation rate: 77.3%
  • Programs offered: 28
  • Annual completions: 1027
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $68,268 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

CET-San Diego

San Diego, CA 4.4 miles away BOC Score 59.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 86.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 8
  • Annual completions: 347
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $40,676 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Concorde Career College-San Diego

San Diego, CA 4.5 miles away BOC Score 54.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
  • 4393 Imperial Avenue, Suite 100 San Diego, CA 92113-1964
  • (619) 688-0800
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 73.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 13
  • Annual completions: 725
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,516 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

California Hair Design Academy

La Mesa, CA 2.3 miles away BOC Score 43.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
  • 8011 University Avenue, Suite A-2 La Mesa, CA 91942-5055
  • (619) 461-8600
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 85.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 7
  • Annual completions: 185
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $25,295 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

North-West College-San Diego

San Diego, CA 2.9 miles away BOC Score 41.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 7
  • Annual completions: 127
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $48,064 (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
159.8Contact school for pricing$40,67686%4 mi
256.6Contact school for pricingNot reported65%3 mi
354.2Contact school for pricing$47,51674%4 mi
443.2Contact school for pricing$25,29585%2 mi
541.8Contact school for pricing$48,064Not reported3 mi
623.1Contact school for pricingNot reportedNot reported4 mi
7Not ratedContact school for pricingNot reportedNot reported4 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 - San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, BLS OEWS May 2025Culinary workers $60600; Phlebotomy technicians $58170; Medical assistants $49420; Nursing assistants $48070; Patient care technicians $48070.Culinary workers$60,600Phlebotomy technicians$58,170Medical assistants$49,420Nursing assistants$48,070Patient care technicians$48,070
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 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
TradeMedian annual wage
Culinary workers$60,600
Phlebotomy technicians$58,170
Medical assistants$49,420
Nursing assistants$48,070
Patient care technicians$48,070
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Lemon Grove, California
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Lemon Grove, California (College Scorecard)North-West College-San Diego $48064; Concorde Career College-San Diego $47516; CET-San Diego $40676; California Hair Design Academy $25295.North-West College-San Diego$48,064Concorde Career College-San ...$47,516CET-San Diego$40,676California Hair Design Academy$25,295
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 Lemon Grove, California
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
North-West College-San Diego$48,064
Concorde Career College-San Diego$47,516
CET-San Diego$40,676
California Hair Design Academy$25,295

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Lemon Grove

Among the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $48,070 to $60,600 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 Lemon Grove ranges from $1,332 to $14,027 per year (IPEDS and College Scorecard); schools that do not publish a rate are marked “Contact school for pricing” in the table below. Typical culinary worker training runs 1-2 years (culinary school or apprenticeship) (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


Outcome figures such as graduation, completion, and job placement rates are reported by schools and by federal data sources, reflect prior student cohorts, and are not a prediction or promise of future results. Individual outcomes may vary.


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)