2025 Best Early Childhood Education Schools in California
15
Colleges in California
4,861
Child development Degrees Awarded
Ranked #34 in popularity,
early childhood education is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 15 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Early Childhood Education Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,861 degrees in early childhood education annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Early Childhood Education School
Your choice of early childhood education school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for early childhood education schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Early Childhood Education Degree Level
The child development school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Early Childhood Education Schools in California.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Early Childhood Education in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the child development degree levels they offer.
10 Top California Schools in Child development
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In CA
175
Child development Degrees Awarded
San Diego State University is a good choice for students interested in a degree in early childhood education. SDSU is a very large public university located in the large city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 175 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from San Diego State University
Graduate Certificate
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
284
Child development Degrees Awarded
Every student pursuing a degree in early childhood education has to check out San Francisco State University. SFSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.
There were about 284 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from San Francisco State University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
443
Child development Degrees Awarded
Every student pursuing a degree in early childhood education has to look into California State University - Sacramento. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #267 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Sac State is a great university overall.
There were about 443 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Sac State in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from California State University - Sacramento
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
10th
Most Popular In CA
136
Child development Degrees Awarded
National University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in early childhood education. Located in the large city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #249 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means National University is a great university overall.
There were approximately 136 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at National University in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from National University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In CA
402
Child development Degrees Awarded
Cal State LA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 87th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 402 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Cal State LA in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from California State University - Los Angeles
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
861
Child development Degrees Awarded
UAGC is a very large private for-profit university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #393 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UAGC is a great university overall.
There were about 861 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at UAGC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from The University of Arizona Global Campus
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
530
Child development Degrees Awarded
Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #271 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cal State Fullerton is a great university overall.
There were roughly 530 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from California State University - Fullerton
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In CA
243
Child development Degrees Awarded
CSUDH is a fairly large public university located in the city of Carson. This university ranks 91st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 243 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at CSUDH in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from California State University - Dominguez Hills
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
14th
Most Popular In CA
41
Child development Degrees Awarded
Fresno State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Fresno. This university ranks 81st out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 41 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Fresno State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from California State University - Fresno
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
19th
Most Popular In CA
68
Child development Degrees Awarded
Brandman is a medium-sized public university located in the large city of Irvine. This university ranks 57th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 68 early childhood education students who graduated with this degree at Brandman in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in early childhood education from Brandman University
