Best Child Development Schools Near San Luis Obispo, CA (2026)

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

San Luis Obispo, California has 2 accredited schools offering child development programs. San Luis Obispo has a population of about 48,039. Median household income is $66,711 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 54.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area, the top-earning child development-related role is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education at a median $77,290 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Child Development Schools to San Luis Obispo

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

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA 6.1 miles from San Luis Obispo
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
55.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $46,047
Avg net price $12,124/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 77

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Child Development Wages Near San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo is part of the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area (BLS area code 42020). 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 $46,200 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $42,541
Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare $62,060 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $57,145
Child, Family, and School Social Workers $68,560 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $63,131
Childcare Workers $42,860 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $39,466
Special Education Teachers, Preschool $59,550 CA statewide $54,834
Social and Human Service Assistants $54,960 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $50,608
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education $77,290 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $71,169
Community and Social Service Specialists, All Other $57,560 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $53,002

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.

San Luis Obispo at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 48,039 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $66,711 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 54.4% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 108.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other San Luis Obispo-Area Cities With Child Development Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited child development schools are near San Luis Obispo, CA?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering child development programs near San Luis Obispo. The closest is Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, CA (6.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Fielding Graduate University (79.1 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying child development roles near San Luis Obispo?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying child development-related roles near San Luis Obispo are: Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education ($77,290), Child, Family, and School Social Workers ($68,560), Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare ($62,060). 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 Arroyo Grande instead of San Luis Obispo?

Arroyo Grande, CA is 10.9 miles from San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo an affordable place to study child development?

San Luis Obispo’s median household income of $66,711 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for San Luis Obispo:

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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