Best Child Development Schools Near Gardena, CA (2026)

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

Gardena, California has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $7,350 to $22,679 per year for indexed programs. Gardena has a population of about 59,765. Median household income is $79,291 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 28.0% 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 Gardena

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

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 13.6 miles from Gardena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
86.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,403
Avg net price $10,440/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 121

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

#2

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA 16.6 miles from Gardena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
63.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,379
Avg net price $21,413/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Whittier College

Whittier, CA 16.8 miles from Gardena
  • 4 year
44.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,492
Avg net price $25,757/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Pacific Oaks College

Pasadena, CA 20.0 miles from Gardena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
58.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $52,485
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Hope International University

Fullerton, CA 24.2 miles from Gardena
  • 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

#6

Los Angeles Mission College

Sylmar, CA 29.7 miles from Gardena
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
38.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,834
Avg net price $13,380/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

University of La Verne

La Verne, CA 33.8 miles from Gardena
  • 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

#8

California State University-San Bernardino

San Bernardino, CA 59.7 miles from Gardena
  • 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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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California child development page.

Child Development Wages Near Gardena

Gardena 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.

Gardena at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 59,765 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $79,291 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 28.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 113.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Gardena-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Gardena. The closest is California State University-Long Beach in Long Beach, CA (13.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Hope International University (24.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Gardena 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 Lawndale instead of Gardena?

Lawndale, CA is 2.7 miles from Gardena 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 Gardena an affordable place to study child development?

Gardena’s median household income of $79,291 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gardena 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 Gardena

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

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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