Best Child Development Schools Near Fullerton, CA (2026)

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

Fullerton, California has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $7,350 to $62,278 per year for indexed programs. Fullerton has a population of about 141,278. Median household income is $104,219 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 43.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $78,400 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Fullerton

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer child development programs near Fullerton, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Fullerton 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 Fullerton. 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

Hope International University

Fullerton, CA 2.5 miles from Fullerton
  • 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

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

Child Development Wages Near Fullerton

Fullerton is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). 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 $46,600 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $41,021
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $67,140 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $59,102
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $71,250 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $62,720
Childcare Workers $39,890 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $35,114
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $59,550 CA statewide $52,421
Social and Human Service Assistants $50,330 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $44,305
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $78,400 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $69,014
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $56,960 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $50,141

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.

Fullerton at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 141,278 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $104,219 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 43.6% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 113.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Fullerton-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Fullerton, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Fullerton. The closest is Hope International University in Fullerton, CA (2.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Pacific Oaks College (22.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying child development roles near Fullerton?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Fullerton are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($78,400), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($71,250), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($67,140). 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 La Habra instead of Fullerton?

La Habra, CA is 3.3 miles from Fullerton 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 Fullerton an affordable place to study child development?

Fullerton’s median household income of $104,219 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fullerton 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 Fullerton

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

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.

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