Best Film Schools Near Lancaster, CA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Lancaster, California has 5 accredited schools offering film programs. Lancaster has a population of about 170,013. Median household income is $76,083 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning film-related role is Producers and Directors at a median $131,600 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Film Schools to Lancaster

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

California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, CA 30.4 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
38.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 71%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,198
Avg net price $46,080/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Woodbury University

Burbank, CA 34.8 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
48.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,668
Avg net price $33,692/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 23

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Art Center College of Design

Pasadena, CA 36.2 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,958
Avg net price $48,661/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Los Angeles Valley College

Valley Glen, CA 38.5 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
42.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,678
Avg net price $12,152/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

New York Film Academy

Burbank, CA 38.5 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
35.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,633
Avg net price $39,011/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Occidental College

Los Angeles, CA 39.2 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
63.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,951
Avg net price $38,263/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 89%
  • Programs offered: 33

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

American Film Institute Conservatory

Los Angeles, CA 41.2 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Los Angeles Film School

Hollywood, CA 42.0 miles from Lancaster
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
21.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 45%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $31,632
Avg net price $30,980/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 50%
  • Programs offered: 9

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Film Wages Near Lancaster

Lancaster is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). 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)
Film and Video Editors $83,210 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $73,248
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film $107,620 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $94,736
Producers and Directors $131,600 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $115,845
Special Effects Artists and Animators $124,590 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $109,674
Audio and Video Technicians $64,900 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $57,130
Sound Engineering Technicians $77,850 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $68,530
Writers and Authors $77,250 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $68,002
Graphic Designers $72,400 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA $63,732

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.

Lancaster at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 170,013 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $76,083 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 20.1% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 113.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Lancaster-Area Cities With Film Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited film schools are near Lancaster, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering film programs near Lancaster. The closest is College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, CA (30.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Los Angeles Valley College (38.5 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying film roles near Lancaster?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying film-related roles near Lancaster are: Producers and Directors ($131,600), Special Effects Artists and Animators ($124,590), Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Film ($107,620). 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 Palmdale instead of Lancaster?

Palmdale, CA is 7.9 miles from Lancaster and has its own set of local film programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Lancaster an affordable place to study film?

Lancaster’s median household income of $76,083 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Lancaster 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 Film Programs

Other Programs Available in Lancaster

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

Data verified: September 5, 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 Film Schools in California: Online Programs (2026)