Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Fountain Valley, CA (2026)

Fountain Valley, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $1,180 to $12,206 per year for indexed programs. Fountain Valley has a population of about 56,358. Median household income is $111,797 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Attorney at a median $194,410 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Fountain Valley

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Fountain Valley. Distances are calculated from Fountain Valley city center.

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 Fountain Valley. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Coastline Community College

Fountain Valley, CA 1.3 miles from Fountain Valley BOC Score34.4
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#2

Golden West College

Huntington Beach, CA 3.3 miles from Fountain Valley BOC Score64.0
Published tuition$1,196 - $12,206
Online programsYes

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#3

Vanguard University of Southern California

Costa Mesa, CA 4.4 miles from Fountain Valley BOC Score58.8
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#4

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA 4.9 miles from Fountain Valley BOC Score65.7
Published tuition$1,180 - $11,848
Online programsYes

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#5

UEI College-Garden Grove

Garden Grove, CA 6.4 miles from Fountain Valley BOC Score33.7
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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


Criminal Justice Wages Near Fountain Valley

Fountain Valley is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney$194,410Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$171,136
Judge or MagistrateN/ACA statewide
Police Supervisor$167,600Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$147,535
Detective or Criminal Investigator$127,890Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$112,579
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$121,980Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$107,377
Correctional Officer$78,770Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$69,340
Probation Officer$108,150Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$95,202
Forensic Science Technician$104,410Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$91,910
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$77,520Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$68,239
Information Security Analyst$129,630Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$114,111

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.


Fountain Valley at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population56,358Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$111,797Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+44.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Fountain Valley-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Fountain Valley, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Fountain Valley. The closest is Coastline Community College in Fountain Valley, CA (1.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is UEI College-Garden Grove (6.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Fountain Valley?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Fountain Valley are: Attorney ($194,410), Police Supervisor ($167,600), Information Security Analyst ($129,630). 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 Huntington Beach instead of Fountain Valley?

Huntington Beach, CA is 3.1 miles from Fountain Valley 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 Fountain Valley an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Fountain Valley’s median household income of $111,797 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Fountain Valley 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 Fountain Valley

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Fountain Valley:

Data verified: June 11, 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.