Best Fire Science Schools Near Newport News, VA (2026)

Newport News, Virginia has 3 accredited schools offering fire science programs, with tuition ranging from $5,007 to $12,296 per year for indexed programs. Newport News has a population of about 184,774. Median household income is $66,718 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 29.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area, the top-earning fire science-related role is Emergency Management Director at a median $97,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Fire Science Schools to Newport News

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

#1

Virginia Peninsula Community College

Hampton, VA 6.2 miles from Newport News BOC Score 39.2
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,996
Avg net price $7,012/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Tidewater Community College

Norfolk, VA 21.7 miles from Newport News BOC Score 36.7
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,349
Avg net price $11,762/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

J Sargeant Reynolds Community College

Richmond, VA 58.6 miles from Newport News BOC Score 52.7
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,529
Avg net price $5,168/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Southside Virginia Community College

Alberta, VA 79.4 miles from Newport News BOC Score 47.9
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $32,371
Avg net price $5,338/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Germanna Community College

Locust Grove, VA 108.9 miles from Newport News BOC Score 61.1
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,644
Avg net price $5,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 44

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Northern Virginia Community College

Annandale, VA 125.9 miles from Newport News BOC Score 62.5
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,557
Avg net price $9,919/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Central Virginia Community College

Lynchburg, VA 147.7 miles from Newport News BOC Score 50.4
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,627
Avg net price $6,928/yr
Tuition
In‑state$5,157
Out‑of‑state$11,595
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Wytheville Community College

Wytheville, VA 251.3 miles from Newport News BOC Score 54.3
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $34,303
Avg net price $4,622/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Fire Science Wages Near Newport News

Newport News is part of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area (BLS area code 47260). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Firefighter$56,940Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$58,161
First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$87,530Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$89,408
Fire Inspector and Investigator$70,460VA statewide$71,971
Emergency Management Director$97,990Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC$100,092

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.


Newport News at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population184,774Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$66,718Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+29.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)97.9 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Newport News-Area Cities With Fire Science Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited fire science schools are near Newport News, VA?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering fire science programs near Newport News. The closest is Virginia Peninsula Community College in Hampton, VA (6.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Southside Virginia Community College (79.4 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying fire science roles near Newport News?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying fire science-related roles near Newport News are: Emergency Management Director ($97,990), First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($87,530), Fire Inspector and Investigator ($70,460). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Hampton instead of Newport News?

Hampton, VA is 9.2 miles from Newport News 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 Newport News an affordable place to study fire science?

Newport News’s median household income of $66,718 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Newport News while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia 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 Newport News

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

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.