Best Culinary & Pastry Schools in Leesburg, Virginia (2026)

Quick answer: Culinary professionals in Virginia earn a median of $63,270 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited culinary professional schools near Leesburg, Virginia with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Culinary professional training in Leesburg, Virginia prepares students for entry-level work across the wider Virginia labor market. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $63,270 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Leesburg Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$63,270BLS OEWS, May 2025
Virginia pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$43,010 to $90,470BLS OEWS, May 2025
Washington, DC metro median wage$74,900BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+7.1% growth, about 24,400 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment3,600 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Loudoun County establishments320BLS QCEW, 2024
Loudoun County industry employment7,250BLS QCEW, 2024
Loudoun County unemployment rate2.5%BLS LAUS, 2024
Virginia location quotient0.68BLS OEWS, May 2025

Nearby Cities

Explore the Culinary professional Career

What You’ll Find Below

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


Culinary & Pastry Schools near Leesburg

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.

#1

American Public University System

Charles Town, WV 20.6 miles away BOC Score 50.2
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 55.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 35
  • Annual completions: 5436
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $70,107 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Columbia College

Vienna, VA 21.0 miles away BOC Score 52.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 75.4% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 7
  • Annual completions: 118
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $29,040 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

Frederick Community College

Frederick, MD 25.0 miles away BOC Score 71.1
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 36.3% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 60
  • Annual completions: 337
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $54,058 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Northern Virginia Community College

Annandale, VA 25.2 miles away BOC Score 62.5
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 35.2% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 54
  • Annual completions: 3939
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $57,487 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Blue Ridge Community and Technical College

Martinsburg, WV 33.1 miles away BOC Score 71.1
Tuition $4,752 - $11,522
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 36.9%
  • Programs offered: 53
  • Annual completions: 420
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $45,612 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Culinary Worker Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile - Chefs and Head Cooks
Chefs and Head Cooks annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $37900, P25 $48440, P50 $62470, P75 $78750, P90 $98560.10th$37,90025th$48,44050th (median)$62,47075th$78,75090th$98,560
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Chefs and Head Cooks annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$37,900
25th$48,440
50th (median)$62,470
75th$78,750
90th$98,560
Projected employment growth, Chefs and Head Cooks, 2024-2034
Chefs and Head Cooks employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 197300; 2034 projected employment 211300; percent change +7.1%.2024197,300 jobs2034 (proj.)211,300 jobsChange: +7.1%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Chefs and Head Cooks employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
2024197,300
2034 projected211,300
Percent change+7.1%

Next Steps

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does culinary professional training take near Leesburg?

Culinary professional certificate programs near Leesburg typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do culinary professionals earn in Virginia?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), culinary professionals in Virginia earned a median annual wage of approximately $63,270. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $43,010 to $90,470 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many culinary professional schools are near Leesburg?

Loudoun County reports approximately 320 culinary professional related establishments employing about 7,250 workers (BLS QCEW, 2024). Compare the schools listed above for tuition, duration, and credential alignment with the local employer base.


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)