Best Child Development Schools Near Palo Alto, CA (2026)

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

Palo Alto, California has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs, with tuition ranging from $7,583 to $50,974 per year for indexed programs. Palo Alto has a population of about 67,231. Median household income is $220,408 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 82.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Child, Family, and School Social Workers at a median $87,600 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to Palo Alto

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

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA 11.8 miles from Palo Alto
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $109,183
Avg net price $50,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 19.1 miles from Palo Alto
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
79.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,401
Avg net price $9,320/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 59

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

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#3

California State University-Monterey Bay

Seaside, CA 54.6 miles from Palo Alto
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.7 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 61%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,247
Avg net price $13,663/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,779
Out‑of‑state$20,379
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 33

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

#4

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA 71.6 miles from Palo Alto
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
76.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,986
Avg net price $12,885/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University of California-Davis

Davis, CA 82.2 miles from Palo Alto
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
90.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 42%
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $80,838
Avg net price $14,741/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,774
Out‑of‑state$50,974
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 93%
  • Programs offered: 153

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

#6

California State University-Fresno

Fresno, CA 138.3 miles from Palo Alto
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
78.5 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 95%
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,244
Avg net price $7,000/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 96

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

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#7

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA 140.7 miles from Palo Alto
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $58,896
Avg net price $13,630/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 52

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Shasta College

Redding, CA 223.6 miles from Palo Alto
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,269
Avg net price $2,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 68

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 Palo Alto

Palo Alto is part of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area (BLS area code 41940). 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 $51,190 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $46,368
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $62,840 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $56,920
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $87,600 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $79,348
Childcare Workers $45,720 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $41,413
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $59,550 CA statewide $53,940
Social and Human Service Assistants $60,650 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $54,937
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $84,620 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $76,649
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $62,720 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $56,812

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.

Palo Alto at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 67,231 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $220,408 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 82.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 110.4 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Palo Alto-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near Palo Alto, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering child development programs near Palo Alto. The closest is Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA (11.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of California-Davis (82.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying child development roles near Palo Alto?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near Palo Alto are: Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($87,600), Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($84,620), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($62,840). 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 Los Altos instead of Palo Alto?

Los Altos, CA is 3.2 miles from Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto an affordable place to study child development?

Palo Alto’s median household income of $220,408 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto

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

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)