Find Trade Colleges

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Trade Schools in California

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Trade Schools in California

94 Schools Ranked
$43,905 Average Earnings
$18,481 Avg Student Debt

It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Trade College Search has developed this Best Trade Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 94 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for trade school students.

View our full ranking methodology.

Top Trade Schools in California

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

University of the Pacific

Stockton, California

Our analysis found University of the Pacific to be the best school for trade school students in California.

Read More…

#2

National University

La Jolla, California

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means National University is a great place for trade school students.

Read More…

#3

West Hills College-Lemoore

Lemoore, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend West Hills College-Lemoore. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list.

Full West Hills College-Lemoore Report

#4

Merced College

Merced, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Merced College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list.

Full Merced College Report

#5

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Santa Barbara City College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list.

Full Santa Barbara City College Report

#6

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, California

Foothill College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs.

Read full report on Foothill College

#7

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #7, University of Southern California did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working.

Full University of Southern California Report

#8

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, California

Cuesta College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list.

Full Cuesta College Report

#9

Canada College

Redwood City, California

Canada College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs.

Full Canada College Report

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list.

Read More…

#12

Napa Valley College

Napa, California

Napa Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #12 on the list.

Full Napa Valley College Report

#13

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California

Mt. San Antonio College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs.

Full Mt. San Antonio College Report

#14

Crafton Hills College

Yucaipa, California

Crafton Hills College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #14 on the list.

Full Crafton Hills College Report

California State Polytechnic University - Pomona ranked #15 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list.

Full California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report

#16

Gavilan College

Gilroy, California

Gavilan College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools in California ranking.

Read full report on Gavilan College

#17

Pacific Union College

Angwin, California

Pacific Union College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #17 on the list.

Read More…

#18

Butte College

Oroville, California

With a ranking of #18, Butte College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working.

Read full report on Butte College

#19

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, California

Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #19 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list.

Read More…

#20

Cabrillo College

Aptos, California

Cabrillo College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best trade school programs.

Read full report on Cabrillo College

California State University - Chico ranked #21 on this year’s Best Trade Schools in California list.

Full California State University - Chico Report

California State University Maritime Academy came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Trade Schools in California ranking.

Read full report on California State University Maritime Academy

#23

Los Angeles City College

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #23 on the list.

Full Los Angeles City College Report

#24

San Joaquin Delta College

Stockton, California

With a ranking of #24, San Joaquin Delta College did quite well on this year’s best schools for trade school students working.

Full San Joaquin Delta College Report

#25

San Bernardino Valley College

San Bernardino, California

San Bernardino Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for trade school students. It came in at #25 on the list.

Read full report on San Bernardino Valley College

Best Trade Schools in the Far Western US Region

View Best Trade Schools Nationwide >

Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Featured Schools

Find Trade Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited trade schools across the U.S.