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

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

National City, California has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $11,960 to $50,958 per year for indexed programs. National City has a population of about 55,960. Median household income is $64,248 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Special Education Teachers, Preschool at a median $117,200 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to National City

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

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, CA 9.6 miles from National City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,998
Avg net price $38,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Ashford University

San Diego, CA 11.5 miles from National 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

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#3

San Diego Christian College

Santee, CA 14.1 miles from National 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

#4

University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, CA 16.7 miles from National 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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#5

California State University-San Marcos

San Marcos, CA 32.3 miles from National 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

#6

Hope International University

Fullerton, CA 95.2 miles from National 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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#7

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, CA 96.2 miles from National 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

#8

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 96.9 miles from National City
  • 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

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

Child Development Wages Near National City

National City is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). 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 $44,940 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $40,161
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $62,500 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $55,853
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $59,770 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $53,414
Childcare Workers $39,800 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $35,567
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $117,200 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $104,736
Social and Human Service Assistants $49,500 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $44,236
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $71,690 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $64,066
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $57,200 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA $51,117

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.

National City at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 55,960 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $64,248 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 16.9% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 111.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other National City-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near National City. The closest is Southwestern College in Chula Vista, CA (6.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-San Diego (16.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near National City are: Special Education Teachers, Preschool ($117,200), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($71,690), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($62,500). 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 Coronado instead of National City?

Coronado, CA is 3.6 miles from National 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 National City an affordable place to study child development?

National City’s median household income of $64,248 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in National 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 National City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for National 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)