Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Arroyo Grande, CA (2026)

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

Arroyo Grande, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Arroyo Grande has a population of about 18,412. Median household income is $103,258 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $175,780 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Arroyo Grande

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Arroyo Grande, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Arroyo Grande 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 Arroyo Grande. 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 Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA 12.8 miles from Arroyo Grande
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
89.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $90,768
Avg net price $16,665/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 84

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Taft College

Taft, CA 63.6 miles from Arroyo Grande
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 11%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,861
Avg net price $2,823/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

California State University-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA 85.0 miles from Arroyo Grande
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,009
Avg net price $5,652/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA 93.0 miles from Arroyo Grande
  • 4 year
24.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,291
Avg net price $14,621/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia

Visalia, CA 107.0 miles from Arroyo Grande
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,317
Avg net price $27,854/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 19

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Moorpark College

Moorpark, CA 114.5 miles from Arroyo Grande
  • 4 year
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,044
Avg net price $-2,296/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, CA 115.2 miles from Arroyo Grande
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,712
Avg net price $30,109/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Fresno City College

Fresno, CA 121.8 miles from Arroyo Grande
  • 4 year
41.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,361
Avg net price $8,069/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 95

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Arroyo Grande

Arroyo Grande 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)
Attorney $175,780 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $161,860
Judge or Magistrate N/A CA statewide –
Police Supervisor $140,400 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $129,282
Detective or Criminal Investigator $124,840 CA statewide $114,954
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer $101,860 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $93,794
Correctional Officer $107,220 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $98,729
Probation Officer $97,410 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $89,696
Forensic Science Technician $102,100 CA statewide $94,015
Paralegal or Legal Assistant $75,200 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $69,245
Information Security Analyst $133,100 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA $122,560

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.

Arroyo Grande at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 18,412 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $103,258 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 44.5% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 108.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Arroyo Grande-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Arroyo Grande, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Arroyo Grande. The closest is California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo, CA (12.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Santa Barbara City College (70.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Arroyo Grande?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Arroyo Grande are: Attorney ($175,780), Police Supervisor ($140,400), Information Security Analyst ($133,100). 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 San Luis Obispo instead of Arroyo Grande?

San Luis Obispo, CA is 10.9 miles from Arroyo Grande and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Arroyo Grande an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Arroyo Grande’s median household income of $103,258 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Arroyo Grande 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 Criminal Justice Programs

Other Programs Available in Arroyo Grande

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

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.

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