Best Dental Assistant Programs in Placentia, California (2026)

Updated June 8, 2026 | TradeCareerPath Editorial Team

Quick answer: Dental assistants in California earn a median of $50,110 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited dental assistant schools near Placentia, California with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Choosing a dental assistant program near Placentia, California comes down to accreditation, schedule, and how each school prepares you for the field. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $50,110 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Placentia Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$50,110BLS OEWS, May 2025
California pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$38,790 to $73,700BLS OEWS, May 2025
Los Angeles, CA metro median wage$46,900BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+6.4% growth, about 52,900 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment56,220 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Orange County establishments2,930BLS QCEW, 2024
Orange County industry employment16,350BLS QCEW, 2024
Orange County unemployment rate3.9%BLS LAUS, 2024
California location quotient1.24BLS OEWS, May 2025

Nearby Cities

Explore the Dental assistant Career

What You’ll Find Below

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

Dental Assistant Schools near Placentia

How We Rank Schools

Local school lists are ordered by location first, using the distance from the city or state page you are viewing. Each eligible school also shows a BOC Score, computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data.

Location / proximity to this page
Primary local sort
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.

#2

West Coast University-Orange County

Anaheim, CA 5.8 miles away BOC Score 76.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 61.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 3
  • Annual completions: 215
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing: $110,100 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

North-West College-Anaheim

Anaheim, CA 6.6 miles away BOC Score 40.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 61.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 11
  • Annual completions: 227
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing: $40,350 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

American Career College-Anaheim

Anaheim, CA 7.2 miles away BOC Score 44.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 70.2%
  • Programs offered: 15
  • Annual completions: 1305
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing: $42,969 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

UEI College-Garden Grove

Garden Grove, CA 7.4 miles away BOC Score 33.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 63.0% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 15
  • Annual completions: 1742
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing: $34,461 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Dental Assistant Salary Snapshot

U.S.
U.S. Median Pay $48,070 $23.11 per hour
Job Outlook 6.4% 24,400 jobs (2024–2034)
52,900 openings/yr
Data Year: 2025 SOC: 31-9091 Source: BLS OEWS

Dental-Assistant Salary in U.S.

Median Salary $48,070 $23.11/hr
Average Salary $50,200 $24.13/hr

Salary Range

$37,130 10th pctl
$48,070 Median
$62,250 90th pctl
10th Percentile $37,130 $17.85/hr
25th Percentile $44,340 $21.32/hr
75th Percentile $58,090 $27.93/hr
90th Percentile $62,250 $29.93/hr

Employment & Outlook

Total Employed387,790
Growth (2024-2034)6.4%
Annual Openings52,900
Jobs per 1,0002.5

Dental Assistants (31-9091) • BLS OEWS, May 2025 • bls.gov/oes

Next Steps

About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade career guide using BLS, DOL, and state licensing data. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.