Start here to compare accredited trade schools near San Luis Obispo. This guide links to programs, state licensing steps, and related career paths so you can get job-ready quickly in California.
Ask each school about tuition, schedules, and embedded certifications (EPA 608, NCCER, ASE)
Compare Trade Schools Near San Luis Obispo, 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 26 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
8 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
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
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
📍
San Luis Obispo, CA
•2.3 miles away•BOC Score
89.2
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.
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 Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA's most-employed tradesTrades 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 Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
Trade
Median annual wage
Wind turbine technicians
$77,910
Auto mechanics
$61,620
Culinary workers
$59,400
Dental assistants
$57,150
Medical assistants
$49,520
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in San Luis Obispo, CaliforniaSource: 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 San Luis Obispo, California
School
Median graduate earnings
Cuesta College
$57,231
Allan Hancock College
$55,202
San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria
$42,211
CET-Santa Maria
$40,676
Laurus College
$39,388
Design's School of Cosmetology
$23,711
Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in San Luis Obispo
Among the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $49,520 to $77,910 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025); the chart above compares the five with the largest local workforces. Typical culinary worker training runs 1-2 years (culinary school or apprenticeship) (TradeCareerPath program data).
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.
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.
Data
Provider
Vintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
