Santa Barbara, California has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs, with tuition ranging from $7,458 to $20,485 per year for indexed programs. Santa Barbara has a population of about 88,024. Median household income is $101,672 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area, the top-earning early childhood education-related role is Kindergarten Teacher at a median $102,450 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Early Childhood Education Schools to Santa Barbara
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer early childhood education programs near Santa Barbara, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
93%
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,115
Avg net price
$7,021/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,458
Out‑of‑state$20,058
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 43
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,009
Avg net price
$5,652/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 17
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,954
TuitionContact school for pricing
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
$72,379
Avg net price
$21,413/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 26
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
87%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$90,768
Avg net price
$16,665/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 22
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,899
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 33%
- Programs offered: 14
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$52,485
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
91%
Graduation rate
53%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,211
Avg net price
$3,967/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,160
Out‑of‑state$19,760
Key stats- Retention rate: 72%
- Programs offered: 33
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 Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is part of the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area (BLS area code 42200). 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 | $48,130 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $44,237 |
| Kindergarten Teacher | $102,450 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $94,164 |
| Preschool and Childcare Center Director | $65,480 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $60,184 |
| Teaching Assistant | $46,540 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $42,776 |
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.
Santa Barbara at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 88,024 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $101,672 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 50.2% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 108.8 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Santa Barbara-Area Cities With Early Childhood Education Programs
- Goleta, CA – 8.0 mi away (30,850 pop)
- Oxnard, CA – 34.7 mi away (385,837 pop)
- Port Hueneme, CA – 34.8 mi away (22,277 pop)
- Santa Paula, CA – 37.5 mi away (30,770 pop)
- Camarillo, CA – 41.7 mi away (74,152 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited early childhood education schools are near Santa Barbara, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering early childhood education programs near Santa Barbara. The closest is California State University-Northridge in Northridge, CA (69.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (80.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying early childhood education roles near Santa Barbara?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying early childhood education-related roles near Santa Barbara are: Kindergarten Teacher ($102,450), Preschool and Childcare Center Director ($65,480), Preschool Teacher ($48,130). 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 Goleta instead of Santa Barbara?
Goleta, CA is 8.0 miles from Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara an affordable place to study early childhood education?
Santa Barbara’s median household income of $101,672 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Barbara 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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