Best Pharmacy Technician Schools Near Santa Monica, CA (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Santa Monica, California has 5 accredited schools offering pharmacy technician programs. Santa Monica has a population of about 91,535. Median household income is $109,739 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 68.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning pharmacy technician-related role is Health Technologist and Technician at a median $59,210 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Pharmacy Technician Schools to Santa Monica

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

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, CA 5.6 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
59.2 BOC Score
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: 38

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Los Angeles Mission College

Sylmar, CA 20.5 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
38.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 23%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,834
Avg net price $13,380/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

American University of Health Sciences

Signal Hill, CA 23.6 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
80.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 50%
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $93,610
Tuition
In‑state$24,575
Out‑of‑state$24,575
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

InterCoast Colleges-West Covina

West Covina, CA 33.6 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
54.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,089
Avg net price $27,536/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 14

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA 38.6 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
65.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,552
Avg net price $3,133/yr
Tuition
In‑state$1,180
Out‑of‑state$10,756
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 55

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

#6

North-West College-San Diego

San Diego, CA 119.2 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
41.8 BOC Score
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $41,472
Avg net price $46,503/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 7

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia

Visalia, CA 166.4 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
45.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,317
Avg net price $27,854/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 308.3 miles from Santa Monica
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,072
Avg net price $7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Pharmacy Technician Wages Near Santa Monica

Santa Monica 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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Pharmacy Technician$50,760Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$44,683
Health Technologist and Technician$59,210Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$52,121

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.

Santa Monica at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population91,535Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$109,739Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+68.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Santa Monica-Area Cities With Pharmacy Technician Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited pharmacy technician schools are near Santa Monica, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering pharmacy technician programs near Santa Monica. The closest is West Los Angeles College in Culver City, CA (5.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is UEI College-Reseda (12.6 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying pharmacy technician roles near Santa Monica?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying pharmacy technician-related roles near Santa Monica are: Health Technologist and Technician ($59,210), Pharmacy Technician ($50,760). 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 Culver City instead of Santa Monica?

Culver City, CA is 5.0 miles from Santa Monica and has its own set of local pharmacy technician programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Santa Monica an affordable place to study pharmacy technician?

Santa Monica’s median household income of $109,739 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Santa Monica 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 Pharmacy Technician Programs

Other Programs Available in Santa Monica

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

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.

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