Best Fire Science Schools Near Madera, CA (2026)

Madera, California has 9 accredited schools offering fire science programs, with tuition ranging from $1,180 to $12,249 per year for indexed programs. Madera has a population of about 67,133. Median household income is $63,619 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 10.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning fire science-related role is Emergency Management Director at a median $129,910 annually (BLS, May 2025).


Closest Fire Science Schools to Madera

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

#1

Fresno City College

Fresno, CA 20.7 miles from Madera BOC Score 41.3
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,361
Avg net price $8,069/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA 69.7 miles from Madera BOC Score 64.3
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,368
Avg net price $2,818/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 71%
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA 124.0 miles from Madera BOC Score 24.0
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,291
Avg net price $14,621/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Solano Community College

Fairfield, CA 142.1 miles from Madera BOC Score 61.5
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,170
Avg net price $4,669/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Antelope Valley Community College District

Lancaster, CA 190.4 miles from Madera BOC Score 40.9
  • 4 year
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,526
Avg net price $3,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Los Angeles Valley College

Valley Glen, CA 214.0 miles from Madera BOC Score 42.2
  • 4 year
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: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, CA 225.6 miles from Madera BOC Score 59.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,537
Avg net price $9,634/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Rio Hondo College

Whittier, CA 233.8 miles from Madera BOC Score 59.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,950
Avg net price $14,379/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,388
Out‑of‑state$9,884
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 63

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Fire Science Wages Near Madera

Madera is part of the Fresno, CA metro area (BLS area code 23420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Firefighter$79,160Fresno, CA$77,456
First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$106,330Fresno, CA$104,041
Fire Inspector and Investigator$98,090Fresno, CA$95,978
Emergency Management Director$129,910CA statewide$127,114

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.


Madera at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population67,133Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$63,619Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+10.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)102.2 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Madera-Area Cities With Fire Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited fire science schools are near Madera, CA?

Our directory has 9 accredited schools offering fire science programs near Madera. The closest is Fresno City College in Fresno, CA (20.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Joaquin Delta College (98.4 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying fire science roles near Madera?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying fire science-related roles near Madera are: Emergency Management Director ($129,910), First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($106,330), Fire Inspector and Investigator ($98,090). 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 Fresno instead of Madera?

Fresno, CA is 20.2 miles from Madera and has its own set of local fire science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Madera an affordable place to study fire science?

Madera’s median household income of $63,619 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Madera 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 Fire Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Madera

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

Data verified: August 11, 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.