Dana Point, California has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $7,470 to $35,325 per year for indexed programs. Dana Point has a population of about 32,883. Median household income is $127,246 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.1% 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 Dana Point
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Dana Point, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Dana Point 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 Dana Point.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$65,703
Avg net price
$32,654/yr
TuitionIn‑state$12,540
Out‑of‑state$12,540
Key stats- Retention rate: 52%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,541
Avg net price
$21,241/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 20
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
16%
Avg net price
$11,097/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 49%
- Programs offered: 5
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$43,845
Avg net price
$7,339/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 89%
- Programs offered: 57
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,951
Avg net price
$6,555/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,470
Out‑of‑state$20,070
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 27
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,504
Avg net price
$26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 46
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,778
Avg net price
$31,495/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,908
Avg net price
$10,229/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 17
Source: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 Dana Point
Dana Point 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.
Dana Point at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 32,883 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $127,246 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 57.1% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 113.6 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Dana Point-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs
- San Juan Capistrano, CA – 3.1 mi away (36,276 pop)
- Laguna Niguel, CA – 3.8 mi away (65,328 pop)
- San Clemente, CA – 5.2 mi away (65,309 pop)
- Laguna Beach, CA – 6.2 mi away (23,190 pop)
- Aliso Viejo, CA – 7.5 mi away (51,424 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Dana Point, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Dana Point. The closest is University of Massachusetts Global in Aliso Viejo, CA (13.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California State University-Fullerton (30.6 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near Dana Point?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Dana Point 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 San Juan Capistrano instead of Dana Point?
San Juan Capistrano, CA is 3.1 miles from Dana Point 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 Dana Point an affordable place to study early childhood education?
Dana Point’s median household income of $127,246 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Dana Point 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: July 30, 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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