Los Altos, California has 5 accredited schools offering environmental science 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 environmental science-related role is Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist at a median $129,940 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Environmental Science Schools to Los Altos
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental science 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:
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 Los Altos.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,072
Avg net price
$7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$109,183
Avg net price
$50,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 65
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$78,988
Avg net price
$13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 118
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
97%
Graduation rate
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,401
Avg net price
$9,320/yr
TuitionIn‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Key stats- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 59
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
66%
Graduation rate
75%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,396
Avg net price
$17,890/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,005
Out‑of‑state$50,205
Key stats- Retention rate: 89%
- Programs offered: 81
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,538
Avg net price
$25,181/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 0%
- Programs offered: 20
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,077
Avg net price
$12,278/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 83%
- Programs offered: 102
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$78,812
Avg net price
$30,378/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 67
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California environmental science page.
Environmental Science 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.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist | $106,510 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $96,476 |
| Conservation Scientist | $110,200 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $99,819 |
| Environmental Engineer | $125,550 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $113,723 |
| Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist | $129,940 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $117,699 |
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
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 30,736 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $250,001 | Census 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 |
Other Los Altos-Area Cities With Environmental Science Programs
- Mountain View, CA – 2.4 mi away (80,447 pop)
- Palo Alto, CA – 3.2 mi away (67,024 pop)
- Sunnyvale, CA – 4.0 mi away (152,771 pop)
- Cupertino, CA – 4.5 mi away (60,643 pop)
- Santa Clara, CA – 7.1 mi away (125,948 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited environmental science schools are near Los Altos, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering environmental science programs near Los Altos. The closest is Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, CA (1.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Jose State University (12.1 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying environmental science roles near Los Altos?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental science-related roles near Los Altos are: Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($129,940), Environmental Engineer ($125,550), Conservation Scientist ($110,200). 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 environmental science 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 environmental science?
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 Environmental Science Programs
Other Programs Available in Los Altos
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Los Altos:
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- Computer Engineering programs in Los Altos, CA
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- Software Development programs in Los Altos, CA
- User Experience programs in Los Altos, CA
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- Artificial Intelligence programs in Los Altos, CA
- Machine Learning programs in Los Altos, CA
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- Data Analytics programs in Los Altos, CA
- Public Health programs in Los Altos, CA
- Human Resources programs in Los Altos, CA
- Project Management programs in Los Altos, CA
- Special Education programs in Los Altos, CA
- Homeland Security programs in Los Altos, CA
- Marketing programs in Los Altos, CA
- Finance programs in Los Altos, CA
- Kinesiology programs in Los Altos, CA
- Sports Management programs in Los Altos, CA
- Early Childhood Education programs in Los Altos, CA
- Elementary Education programs in Los Altos, CA
- Biology programs in Los Altos, CA
- Communications programs in Los Altos, CA
- Graphic Design programs in Los Altos, CA
- Human Services programs in Los Altos, CA
- MBA programs in Los Altos, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in Los Altos, CA
- Nursing programs in Los Altos, CA
- Business Administration programs in Los Altos, CA
- Computer Science programs in Los Altos, CA
- Psychology programs in Los Altos, CA
- Education programs in Los Altos, CA
- Engineering programs in Los Altos, CA
- Technology programs in Los Altos, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Los Altos, CA
- Healthcare programs in Los Altos, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Los Altos, CA
- Accounting programs in Los Altos, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Los Altos, CA
- Social Work programs in Los Altos, CA
- Counseling programs in Los Altos, CA
Data verified: September 1, 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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