Best Child Development Schools Near Cathedral City, CA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Cathedral City, California has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $8,093 to $20,693 per year for indexed programs. Cathedral City has a population of about 52,047. Median household income is $67,031 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 25.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $82,550 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Cathedral City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Cathedral City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Cathedral City city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • 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 outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Cathedral City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, CA 47.9 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
96.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 92%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $89,816
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

California State University-San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA 54.6 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
78.4 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 94%
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,977
Avg net price $4,564/yr
Tuition
In‑state$8,093
Out‑of‑state$20,693
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

California State University-San Marcos

San Marcos, CA 63.0 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
75.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,908
Avg net price $10,229/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

San Diego Christian College

Santee, CA 74.7 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,766
Avg net price $992/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 17%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University of La Verne

La Verne, CA 77.1 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
62.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 71%
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,464
Avg net price $20,161/yr
Tuition
In‑state$49,470
Out‑of‑state$49,470
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, CA 79.7 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
92.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 27%
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $84,943
Avg net price $12,470/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,758
Out‑of‑state$50,958
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 133

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Ashford University

San Diego, CA 79.9 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
15.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 10%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,404
Avg net price $31,266/yr
Tuition
In‑state$11,960
Out‑of‑state$11,960
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 33%
  • Programs offered: 64

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Hope International University

Fullerton, CA 81.5 miles from Cathedral City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,697
Avg net price $29,310/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California child development page.

Child Development Wages Near Cathedral City

Cathedral City is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA metro area (BLS area code 40140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $46,010 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $43,242
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $63,060 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $59,267
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $63,230 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $59,427
Childcare Workers $40,210 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $37,791
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $59,550 CA statewide $55,968
Social and Human Service Assistants $48,370 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $45,461
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $82,550 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $77,585
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $55,280 Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA $51,955

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Cathedral City at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 52,047 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $67,031 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 25.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 106.4 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Cathedral City-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Cathedral City, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Cathedral City. The closest is College of the Desert in Palm Desert, CA (8.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Diego Christian College (74.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying child development roles near Cathedral City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Cathedral City are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($82,550), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($63,230), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($63,060). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Palm Springs instead of Cathedral City?

Palm Springs, CA is 4.8 miles from Cathedral City and has its own set of local child development programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Cathedral City an affordable place to study child development?

Cathedral City’s median household income of $67,031 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cathedral City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Child Development Programs

Other Programs Available in Cathedral City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Cathedral City:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Child Development Schools in California (2026)