Best Online Education Programs in Los Altos, CA (2026)

Los Altos, California has 2 accredited schools offering education programs, with tuition ranging from $7,602 to $22,714 per year for indexed programs. Los Altos has a population of about 30,736. Median household income is $250,001 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 87.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area, the top-earning education-related role is Education Administrator, K-12 at a median $165,520 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Education Schools to Los Altos

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer education programs near Los Altos, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Los Altos 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 Los Altos. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 1.8 miles from Los Altos BOC Score 61.4
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
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: 55

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 5.7 miles from Los Altos BOC Score 95.0
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $124,080
Avg net price $13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA 8.6 miles from Los Altos BOC Score 77.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $109,183
Avg net price $50,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Alder Graduate School of Education

Redwood City, CA 11.3 miles from Los Altos
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 4

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

#5

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 12.0 miles from Los Altos BOC Score 86.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA 14.4 miles from Los Altos BOC Score 71.1
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $74,576
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 20.0 miles from Los Altos BOC Score 79.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
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: 24

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

#8

University of California-Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA 27.2 miles from Los Altos BOC Score 71.8
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 66%
Graduation rate 75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,396
Avg net price $17,890/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,005
Out‑of‑state$50,205
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 15

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

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


Education Wages Near Los Altos

Los Altos is part of the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metro area (BLS area code 41940). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Secondary School Teacher$108,230San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$98,034
Elementary School Teacher$102,860San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$93,170
Middle School Teacher$105,030San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$95,136
Education Teacher, Postsecondary$121,520San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$110,072
Education Administrator, K-12$165,520San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$149,928
Education Administrator, Postsecondary$154,140San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$139,620
Tutor$50,350San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$45,607
Educational and Career Counselor$95,390San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$86,404

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.


Los Altos at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population30,736Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$250,001Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+87.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)110.4 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Education-related employment in Santa Clara County43,856 workers, 1,259 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Los Altos-Area Cities With Education Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited education schools are near Los Altos, CA?

Accredited schools offering education programs near Los Altos are listed on this page, ranked by BOC Score and distance from the city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data on every site update, so it stays current as programs open and close.

What are the highest-paying education roles near Los Altos?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying education-related roles near Los Altos are: Education Administrator, K-12 ($165,520), Education Administrator, Postsecondary ($154,140), Education Teacher, Postsecondary ($121,520). 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 Mountain View instead of Los Altos?

Mountain View, CA is 2.4 miles from Los Altos 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 Los Altos an affordable place to study education?

Los Altos’s median household income of $250,001 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Los Altos 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 Los Altos

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Los Altos:

Data verified: July 23, 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.