Best Criminal Justice Schools Near Palmdale, CA (2026)

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

Palmdale, California has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Palmdale has a population of about 165,487. Median household income is $81,151 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 16.6% 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 Palmdale

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

Antelope Valley Community College District

Lancaster, CA 7.3 miles from Palmdale
  • 4 year
40.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,526
Avg net price $3,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Los Angeles Mission College

Sylmar, CA 26.3 miles from Palmdale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
38.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,834
Avg net price $13,380/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Woodbury University

Burbank, CA 29.9 miles from Palmdale
  • 4 year
48.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,668
Avg net price $33,692/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Abraham Lincoln University

Glendale, CA 32.1 miles from Palmdale
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
23.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Avg net price $28,584/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 62%
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Los Angeles Valley College

Valley Glen, CA 34.1 miles from Palmdale
  • 4 year
42.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,678
Avg net price $12,152/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 34.4 miles from Palmdale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
75.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,115
Avg net price $7,021/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,458
Out‑of‑state$20,058
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 103

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

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#7

Azusa Pacific University

Azusa, CA 34.4 miles from Palmdale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,677
Avg net price $22,212/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 75

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Platt College-Los Angeles

Alhambra, CA 35.5 miles from Palmdale
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
54.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,669
Avg net price $27,551/yr
Tuition
In‑state$14,922
Out‑of‑state$14,922
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:Accreditor: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and CollegesIPEDSCollege 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 Palmdale

Palmdale 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.

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

Palmdale at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 165,487 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $81,151 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 16.6% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 113.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Palmdale-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Palmdale, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Palmdale. The closest is Antelope Valley Community College District in Lancaster, CA (7.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Glendale Community College (30.3 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Palmdale?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Palmdale 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 Lancaster instead of Palmdale?

Lancaster, CA is 7.9 miles from Palmdale 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 Palmdale an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Palmdale’s median household income of $81,151 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Palmdale 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 Palmdale

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

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 Criminal Justice Schools in California (2026)