Best Counseling Schools Near Los Altos, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Los Altos, California has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Los Altos has a population of about 30,736. Median household income is $250,001 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 87.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $98,030 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Los Altos

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

Palo Alto University

Palo Alto, CA 5.1 miles from Los Altos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
92.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $83,187
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 4

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA 8.8 miles from Los Altos
  • 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

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#3

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 12.1 miles from Los Altos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 20.1 miles from Los Altos
  • 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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#5

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 32.1 miles from Los Altos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 102

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, CA 32.6 miles from Los Altos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,812
Avg net price $30,378/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

California Institute of Integral Studies

San Francisco, CA 33.1 miles from Los Altos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $48,848
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Golden Gate University

San Francisco, CA 33.5 miles from Los Altos
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
62.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 46%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $87,434
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Counseling Wages Near Los Altos

Los Altos 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)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor $72,550 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $65,716
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor $95,390 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $86,404
Marriage and Family Therapist $95,110 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $86,150
Rehabilitation Counselor $60,450 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $54,755
Counselor, All Other $83,930 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $76,024
Social and Community Service Manager $98,030 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $88,795

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.

Los Altos at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 30,736 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $250,001 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 87.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 110.4 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Santa Clara County 56,229 workers, 31,805 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Los Altos-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Los Altos, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Los Altos. The closest is Palo Alto University in Palo Alto, CA (5.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of San Mateo (17.4 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Los Altos?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Los Altos are: Social and Community Service Manager ($98,030), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($95,390), Marriage and Family Therapist ($95,110). 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 Mountain View instead of Los Altos?

Mountain View, CA is 2.4 miles from Los Altos and has its own set of local counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Los Altos an affordable place to study counseling?

Los Altos’s median household income of $250,001 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Los Altos 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 Counseling Programs

Other Programs Available in Los Altos

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

Data verified: September 6, 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 Counseling Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)