Best Trade Schools in South Lake Tahoe, California

Start here to compare accredited trade schools near South Lake Tahoe. 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 South Lake Tahoe

  • 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 South Lake Tahoe, 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

Hoss Lee Academy

Roseville, CA 71.9 miles away BOC Score 57.7
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 86.8%
  • Programs offered: 4
  • Annual completions: 270
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $25,461 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Folsom Lake College

Folsom, CA 64.6 miles away BOC Score 57.6
Tuition $1,288 - $13,901
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 41.8%
  • Programs offered: 24
  • Annual completions: 267
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $58,876 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

National Career Education

Citrus Heights, CA 71.7 miles away BOC Score 54.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 83.8%
  • Programs offered: 11
  • Annual completions: 981
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $49,241 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Sierra College

Rocklin, CA 66.6 miles away BOC Score 54.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 39.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 56
  • Annual completions: 972
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $47,159 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

William Jessup University

Rocklin, CA 70.9 miles away BOC Score 51.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 58.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 6
  • Annual completions: 41
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,374 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Columbia College

Sonora, CA 66.5 miles away BOC Score 32.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 28.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 18
  • Annual completions: 136
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $45,420 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

Lake Tahoe Community College

South Lake Tahoe, CA 1.1 miles away BOC Score 30.5
Tuition $1,131 - $17,666
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 43.2%
  • Programs offered: 28
  • Annual completions: 171
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $45,548 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

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
157.7Contact school for pricing$25,46187%72 mi
257.6$1,288 - $13,901$58,87642%Yes*65 mi
354.9Contact school for pricing$49,24184%72 mi
454.5Contact school for pricing$47,15940%67 mi
532.3Contact school for pricing$45,42028%66 mi
630.5$1,131 - $17,666$45,54843%Yes*1 mi
7Not ratedContact school for pricing$30,863Not reported29 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 - Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, BLS OEWS May 2025Electricians $74830; HVAC technicians $66670; Medical assistants $61970; Dental assistants $58580; Culinary workers $57870.Electricians$74,830HVAC technicians$66,670Medical assistants$61,970Dental assistants$58,580Culinary workers$57,870
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 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA
TradeMedian annual wage
Electricians$74,830
HVAC technicians$66,670
Medical assistants$61,970
Dental assistants$58,580
Culinary workers$57,870
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in South Lake Tahoe, California
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in South Lake Tahoe, California (College Scorecard)Folsom Lake College $58876; National Career Education $49241; Sierra College $47159; Lake Tahoe Community College $45548; Columbia College $45420; Paul Mitchell the School-North Tahoe $30863.Folsom Lake College$58,876National Career Education$49,241Sierra College$47,159Lake Tahoe Community College$45,548Columbia College$45,420Paul Mitchell the School-Nor...$30,863
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 South Lake Tahoe, California
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
Folsom Lake College$58,876
National Career Education$49,241
Sierra College$47,159
Lake Tahoe Community College$45,548
Columbia College$45,420
Paul Mitchell the School-North Tahoe$30,863

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in South Lake Tahoe

Among the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $57,870 to $74,830 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 South Lake Tahoe ranges from $1,131 to $17,666 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


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)