Best Medical Assistant Schools Near Johnston, IA (2026)

Johnston, Iowa has 5 accredited schools offering medical assistant programs. Johnston has a population of about 24,196. Median household income is $103,430 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 57.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area, the top-earning medical assistant-related role is Medical Assistant at a median $46,920 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Medical Assistant Schools to Johnston

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

Ranked by BOC Score β€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Des Moines Area Community College

Ankeny, IA 5.7 miles from Johnston
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
50.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,018
Avg net price $11,171/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 79

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Mercy College of Health Sciences

Des Moines, IA 7.9 miles from Johnston
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
58.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,234
Avg net price $26,924/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 59%
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Marshalltown Community College

Marshalltown, IA 46.8 miles from Johnston
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
59.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 33%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,010
Avg net price $8,059/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Iowa Central Community College

Fort Dodge, IA 60.9 miles from Johnston
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
54.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,046
Avg net price $9,328/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 57

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Ellsworth Community College

Iowa Falls, IA 62.6 miles from Johnston
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
50.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 35%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $40,562
Avg net price $11,451/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 12

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Hawkeye Community College

Waterloo, IA 87.5 miles from Johnston
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
54.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,849
Avg net price $9,649/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

North Iowa Area Community College

Mason City, IA 106.4 miles from Johnston
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
57.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 58%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,462
Avg net price $10,010/yr
Tuition
In‑state$6,653
Out‑of‑state$9,551
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 48

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA 107.3 miles from Johnston
  • 2 year
  • Campus + Online
56.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,016
Avg net price $9,705/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Iowa schools on the Iowa medical assistant page.


Medical Assistant Wages Near Johnston

Johnston is part of the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area (BLS area code 19780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Iowa statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical Assistant$46,920Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$51,167
Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant$42,160Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$45,976
Healthcare Support Worker$46,310Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA$50,502

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.


Johnston at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population24,196Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$103,430Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+57.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)91.7 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Johnston-Area Cities With Medical Assistant Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited medical assistant schools are near Johnston, IA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering medical assistant programs near Johnston. The closest is Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, IA (5.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Iowa Central Community College (60.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying medical assistant roles near Johnston?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying medical assistant-related roles near Johnston are: Medical Assistant ($46,920), Healthcare Support Worker ($46,310), Medical Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($42,160). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Iowa statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Urbandale instead of Johnston?

Urbandale, IA is 4.6 miles from Johnston and has its own set of local medical assistant programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Johnston an affordable place to study medical assistant?

Johnston’s median household income of $103,430 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Johnston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Iowa 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 Medical Assistant Programs

Other Programs Available in Johnston

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

Data verified: August 25, 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.