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2023 Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools
Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate School for You
In 2021-2022, 85,339 practical nursing & nursing assistants students received their degrees and certificates, making the major the #2 most popular in the country.
Today's trade school students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 396 schools in the United States to see which basic certificate programs offered the best educational experiences for trade school students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Colleges.
Top 25 Top Trade Schools for an Award Taking Less Than 1 Year in Nursing & Nursing Assistants
Our analysis found Best Care College to be the best school for practical nursing & nursing assistants students who want to pursue a basic certificate in the United States. Located in the large suburb of East Orange, Best Care College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
The excellent basic certificate programs at Polytech Adult Education helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best practical nursing & nursing assistants schools in the United States. Located in the rural area of Woodside, Polytech Adult Education is a public college with a small student population.
Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Polytech Adult Education Report
The excellent basic certificate programs at Access Careers helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best practical nursing & nursing assistants schools in the United States. Access Careers is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Hempstead.
Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Access Careers Report
Out of the 396 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Health School landed the # 4 spot on the list. Texas Health School is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Houston.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Dixie Technical College is a great place for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Dixie Tech is a small public school located in the small city of Saint George.
Madison Area Technical College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Moraine Park Technical College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. Moraine Park Technical College is a small public school located in the city of Fond du Lac.
Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Moraine Park Technical College
Miami Valley Career Technology Center did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for practical nursing & nursing assistants students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #8 on the list. Miami Valley CTC is a fairly small public school located in the suburb of Englewood.
Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Miami Valley Career Technology Center
With a ranking of #9, Washburn Institute of Technology did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Located in the midsize city of Topeka, Washburn Tech is a public school with a small student population.
Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Washburn Institute of Technology Report
Career Center of Southern Illinois ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. Located in the rural area of Red Bud, Beck School of Practical Nursing is a public school with a fairly small student population.
Cape Coral Technical College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. Located in the city of Cape Coral, Cape Coral Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
Fox Valley Technical College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. FVTC is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Appleton.
Suncoast Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for practical nursing & nursing assistants students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #13 on the list. Suncoast Technical College is a small public school located in the suburb of Sarasota.
Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Suncoast Technical College
North Florida Technical College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. North Florida Technical College is a small public school located in the distant town of Starke.
Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at North Florida Technical College Report
With a ranking of #15, Ivy Tech Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Indianapolis.
Oakton Community College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. Located in the city of Des Plaines, Oakton Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
With a ranking of #17, Orange Technical College - Orlando Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. OTC Orlando is a fairly small public school located in the city of Orlando.
Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Orange Technical College - Orlando Campus Report
Chippewa Valley Technical College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Chippewa Valley Technical College Report
Blackhawk Technical College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. BTC is a small public school located in the small suburb of Janesville.
Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Blackhawk Technical College Report
Red Rocks Community College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools list. Red Rocks Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Lakewood.
Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Red Rocks Community College Report
With a ranking of #21, Autry Technology Center did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Autry Technology Center is a small public school located in the remote town of Enid.
With a ranking of #22, Apollo Career Center did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Located in the suburb of Lima, Apollo JVS is a public college with a fairly small student population.
Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Apollo Career Center Report
With a ranking of #23, Jefferson Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Jefferson Community and Technical College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Louisville.
William Rainey Harper College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best basic certificate practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Harper College is a large public school located in the suburb of Palatine.
With a ranking of #25, College of Lake County did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Located in the suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at College of Lake County
Rest of the Top Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools
Additional Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 396 different United States practical nursing & nursing assistants schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | North Iowa Area Community College | Mason City, IA |
| 52 | Bunker Hill Community College | Boston, MA |
| 53 | Marion Technical College | Ocala, FL |
| 54 | Lincoln Technical Institute - Paramus | Paramus, NJ |
| 55 | Infinity College | Lafayette, LA |
| 56 | Waukesha County Technical College | Pewaukee, WI |
| 57 | Lincoln Technical Institute - Shelton | Shelton, CT |
| 58 | Bluegrass Community and Technical College | Lexington, KY |
| 59 | Northeast Texas Community College | Mount Pleasant, TX |
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing & Nursing Assistants students that almost earned our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | Kansas City Kansas Community College | Kansas City, KS |
| 61 | Kaskaskia College | Centralia, IL |
| 62 | School Removed | |
| 63 | GateWay Community College | Phoenix, AZ |
| 64 | High Desert Medical College | Lancaster, CA |
| 65 | Monroe 2 Orleans BOCES-Center for Workforce Development | Rochester, NY |
| 66 | Pontotoc Technology Center | Ada, OK |
| 67 | Dawn Career Institute LLC | Newark, DE |
| 68 | Tri-Rivers Career Center | Marion, OH |
| 69 | Western Iowa Tech Community College | Sioux City, IA |
| 70 | Coastal Pines Technical College | Waycross, GA |
| 71 | Oconee Fall Line Technical College | Sandersville, GA |
| 72 | School Removed | |
| 73 | Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College | Minden, LA |
| 74 | Angeles College | Los Angeles, CA |
| 75 | Johnson County Community College | Overland Park, KS |
| 76 | Flint Hills Technical College | Emporia, KS |
| 77 | Fort Myers Technical College | Fort Myers, FL |
| 78 | Central Georgia Technical College | Warner Robins, GA |
| 79 | Northland Community and Technical College | Thief River Falls, MN |
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants by Region
View the Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Other U.S. Territories |
| Great Lakes |
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Related Rankings by Major
One of 11 majors within the trade school area of study, practical nursing & nursing assistants has other similar majors worth exploring.
Practical Nursing Focus Areas
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training | 45,031 |
| Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide | 35,655 |
| Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants | 4,653 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Practical Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 88,600 |
| Allied Health Professions | 83,905 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 83,587 |
| Health Sciences & Services | 36,762 |
| Mental & Social Health Services | 30,331 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.