Best Education Schools Near Foster City, CA (2026)

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

Foster City, California has 5 accredited schools offering education programs. Foster City has a population of about 32,964. Median household income is $193,633 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 74.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning education-related role is Education Administrator, K-12 at a median $160,820 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Education Schools to Foster City

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

Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA 2.8 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
71.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $74,576
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Alder Graduate School of Education

Redwood City, CA 5.0 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

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

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#3

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 10.2 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
95.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $124,080
Avg net price $13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 100

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 13.6 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
79.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,401
Avg net price $9,320/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 59

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

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#5

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 15.4 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,072
Avg net price $7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 69

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA 16.3 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
78.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,077
Avg net price $12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 102

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Reach University

Oakland, CA 17.3 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Exclusively online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 100%
Avg net price $22,423/yr
Tuition
In‑state$12,374
Out‑of‑state$12,374
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 5

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

#8

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA 17.7 miles from Foster City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
20.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,008
Avg net price $40,613/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California education page.

Education Wages Near Foster City

Foster City is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). 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)
Secondary School Teacher $102,880 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $88,997
Elementary School Teacher $101,860 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $88,114
Middle School Teacher $81,100 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $70,156
Education Teacher, Postsecondary $92,720 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $80,208
Education Administrator, K-12 $160,820 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $139,118
Education Administrator, Postsecondary $136,030 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $117,673
Tutor $48,340 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $41,817
Educational and Career Counselor $94,600 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $81,834

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.

Foster City at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 32,964 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $193,633 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 74.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 115.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Education-related employment in San Mateo County 11,860 workers, 527 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Foster City-Area Cities With Education Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited education schools are near Foster City, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering education programs near Foster City. The closest is Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, CA (2.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Chabot College (10.6 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying education roles near Foster City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying education-related roles near Foster City are: Education Administrator, K-12 ($160,820), Education Administrator, Postsecondary ($136,030), Secondary School Teacher ($102,880). 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 Mateo instead of Foster City?

San Mateo, CA is 2.5 miles from Foster City and has its own set of local education programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Foster City an affordable place to study education?

Foster City’s median household income of $193,633 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Foster City 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 Education Programs

Other Programs Available in Foster City

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

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 Education Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)