La Mesa, California has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $8,728 to $37,594 per year for indexed programs. La Mesa has a population of about 60,835. Median household income is $84,337 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 38.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $71,690 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to La Mesa
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near La Mesa, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from La 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 La Mesa.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
36%
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,909
Avg net price
$15,364/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Key stats- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 57
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$67,548
Avg net price
$22,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 53%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
10%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$35,404
Avg net price
$31,266/yr
TuitionIn‑state$11,960
Out‑of‑state$11,960
Key stats- Retention rate: 33%
- Programs offered: 42
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · 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
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
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
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
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California early childhood education page.
Early Childhood Education Wages Near La Mesa
La Mesa is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). 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 | $44,940 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $40,161 |
| Kindergarten Teacher | $71,690 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $64,066 |
| Preschool and Childcare Center Director | $62,500 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $55,853 |
| Teaching Assistant | $46,440 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $41,501 |
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.
La Mesa at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 60,835 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $84,337 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 38.4% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 111.9 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other La Mesa-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs
- Lemon Grove, CA – 2.7 mi away (26,860 pop)
- El Cajon, CA – 4.1 mi away (103,768 pop)
- Santee, CA – 6.2 mi away (57,834 pop)
- San Diego, CA – 7.3 mi away (3,181,172 pop)
- National City, CA – 8.5 mi away (61,147 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited early childhood education schools are near La Mesa, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near La Mesa. The closest is San Diego State University in San Diego, CA (3.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is MiraCosta College (33.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near La Mesa?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near La Mesa are: Kindergarten Teacher ($71,690), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($62,500), Teaching Assistant ($46,440). 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 Lemon Grove instead of La Mesa?
Lemon Grove, CA is 2.7 miles from La 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 La Mesa an affordable place to study early childhood education?
La Mesa’s median household income of $84,337 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in La 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
Other Programs Available in La Mesa
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for La Mesa:
- Marketing programs in La Mesa, CA
- Finance programs in La Mesa, CA
- Kinesiology programs in La Mesa, CA
- Sports Management programs in La Mesa, CA
- Elementary Education programs in La Mesa, CA
- Biology programs in La Mesa, CA
- Communications programs in La Mesa, CA
- Graphic Design programs in La Mesa, CA
- Human Services programs in La Mesa, CA
- MBA programs in La Mesa, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in La Mesa, CA
- Nursing programs in La Mesa, CA
- Business Administration programs in La Mesa, CA
- Computer Science programs in La Mesa, CA
- Psychology programs in La Mesa, CA
- Education programs in La Mesa, CA
- Engineering programs in La Mesa, CA
- Technology programs in La Mesa, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in La Mesa, CA
- Healthcare programs in La Mesa, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in La Mesa, CA
- Accounting programs in La Mesa, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in La Mesa, CA
- Social Work programs in La Mesa, CA
- Counseling programs in La Mesa, CA
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.
← Back to Best Online Early Childhood Education Programs in California (2026)
