Costa Mesa, California has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $7,470 to $35,325 per year for indexed programs. Costa Mesa has a population of about 110,538. Median household income is $110,073 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 43.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $78,400 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Costa Mesa
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Costa Mesa, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Costa Mesa 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:
BOCSCORE
- 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 Costa Mesa.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
94%
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,977
Avg net price
$4,564/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,093
Out‑of‑state$20,693
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 14
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California early childhood education page.
Early Childhood Education Wages Near Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa 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) |
|---|
| Preschool Teacher | $46,600 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $41,021 |
| Kindergarten Teacher | $78,400 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $69,014 |
| Preschool and Childcare Center Director | $67,140 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $59,102 |
| Teaching Assistant | $46,240 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $40,704 |
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.
Costa Mesa at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 110,538 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $110,073 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 43.6% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Costa Mesa-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs
- Fountain Valley, CA – 3.7 mi away (56,529 pop)
- Newport Beach, CA – 4.5 mi away (86,688 pop)
- Santa Ana, CA – 5.2 mi away (334,217 pop)
- Huntington Beach, CA – 5.5 mi away (200,652 pop)
- Tustin, CA – 7.4 mi away (80,395 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Costa Mesa, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Costa Mesa. The closest is Vanguard University of Southern California in Costa Mesa, CA (0.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Biola University (17.6 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near Costa Mesa?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Costa Mesa are: Kindergarten Teacher ($78,400), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($67,140), Preschool Teacher ($46,600). 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 Fountain Valley instead of Costa Mesa?
Fountain Valley, CA is 3.7 miles from Costa Mesa and has its own set of local early childhood education programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Costa Mesa an affordable place to study early childhood education?
Costa Mesa’s median household income of $110,073 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Costa Mesa 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 Early Childhood Education Programs
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Data verified: August 10, 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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