Best Trade Schools in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Start here to compare accredited trade schools near Santa Fe. This guide links to programs, state licensing steps, and related career paths so you can get job-ready quickly in New Mexico.


How to Get Started in Santa Fe

  • Compare schools and program lengths above
  • Check your state licensing steps: New Mexico
  • Explore careers: Skilled trades hub
  • Ask each school about tuition, schedules, and embedded certifications (EPA 608, NCCER, ASE)

Compare Trade Schools Near Santa Fe, New Mexico

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.

#2

Vogue College of Cosmetology-Santa Fe

Santa Fe, NM 3.0 miles away BOC Score 53.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 75.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 4
  • Annual completions: 84
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $29,372 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Santa Fe Community College

Santa Fe, NM 4.0 miles away BOC Score 46.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 75
  • Annual completions: 534
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $53,855 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Northern New Mexico College

Espanola, NM 23.3 miles away BOC Score 46.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 29
  • Annual completions: 50
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $61,774 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Luna Community College

Las Vegas, NM 41.1 miles away BOC Score 43.4
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Completion rate: 33.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 35
  • Annual completions: 63
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $38,111 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

New Mexico Highlands University

Las Vegas, NM 43.1 miles away BOC Score 41.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
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Key stats
  • Programs offered: 6
  • Annual completions: 233
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $55,864 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#8

Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development

Santa Fe, NM 3.0 miles away BOC Score 33.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 20.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 1
  • Annual completions: 7
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $37,813 (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 New Mexico.
#SchoolBOC Score (0–100)TuitionMedian grad earnings (all majors)Graduation rateOnlineDistance
1Not ratedContact school for pricingNot reportedNot reported5 mi
253.3Contact school for pricing$29,37275%3 mi
346.6Contact school for pricing$53,855Not reportedYes*4 mi
446.0Contact school for pricing$61,774Not reportedYes*23 mi
543.4Contact school for pricing$38,11133%Yes*41 mi
634.8Contact school for pricing$59,818Not reported24 mi

Schools closest to the main population center in New Mexico are gathered first, then ranked by BOC Score; distance from the main population center in New Mexico 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 - Santa Fe, NM's most-employed trades
Median annual wage by trade in Santa Fe, NM, BLS OEWS May 2025Culinary workers $72020; Plumbers $50180; HVAC technicians $49360; Dental assistants $47160; Medical assistants $45970.Culinary workers$72,020Plumbers$50,180HVAC technicians$49,360Dental assistants$47,160Medical assistants$45,970
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 Santa Fe, NM
TradeMedian annual wage
Culinary workers$72,020
Plumbers$50,180
HVAC technicians$49,360
Dental assistants$47,160
Medical assistants$45,970
Median Graduate Earnings by School - Best Trade Schools in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Median graduate earnings by school, Best Trade Schools in Santa Fe, New Mexico (College Scorecard)Northern New Mexico College $61774; University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus $59818; Santa Fe Community College $53855; Luna Community College $38111; Vogue College of Cosmetology-Santa Fe $29372.Northern New Mexico College$61,774University of New Mexico-Los...$59,818Santa Fe Community College$53,855Luna Community College$38,111Vogue College of Cosmetology...$29,372
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 Santa Fe, New Mexico
SchoolMedian graduate earnings
Northern New Mexico College$61,774
University of New Mexico-Los Alamos Campus$59,818
Santa Fe Community College$53,855
Luna Community College$38,111
Vogue College of Cosmetology-Santa Fe$29,372

Cost, Earnings, and Program Length in Santa Fe

Among the Santa Fe, NM area’s most-employed trades (BLS QCEW 2024), median annual pay ranges from $45,970 to $72,020 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).

Trade Schools in Nearby Cities

New Mexico Trade Career Outlook

Building & Construction Trades

TradeJob Growth (2024-2034, US)
Plumber4.5%
Welder2.2%
Carpenter4.5%
Flooring Installer9.5%
Construction Worker7.3%

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%
Veterinary Assistant8.7%
Dog Trainer5.1%

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)