Top 25 Trade Schools for Value (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing (MA) is the top trade school for value in EDsmart Data's analysis, returning $417,659 over 10 years. The median certificate-focused school returns $143,307.
Key Facts
- #1 trade school for value: Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing
- Top ROI: $417,659 over 10 years
- Median trade school ROI: $143,307
- Schools evaluated: 1,460
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Top 25 trade schools by 10-year return on investment
A short program can deliver a big return
Our analysis finds the top 25 trade schools return at least $271,481 over 10 years, about 89% above the median trade school.
Certificate-predominant institutions with at least 100 students.
Top 25 trade schools for value in the U.S.
| Rank · School | City | State | Type | 10-year ROI | Net price / yr | Earnings 10 yrs after entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing | Brockton | MA | Private nonprofit | $417,659 | $22,761 | $88,084 |
| 2. Center for Allied Health Education | Brooklyn | NY | Private for-profit | $402,884 | $48,150 | $107,249 |
| 3. Unitek College | Hayward | CA | Private for-profit | $374,044 | $19,130 | $87,877 |
| 4. Unitek College | South San Francisco | CA | Private for-profit | $369,498 | $23,676 | $87,877 |
| 5. Reading Hospital School of Health Sciences | Reading | PA | Private nonprofit | $338,842 | $28,415 | $74,572 |
| 6. Xavier College School of Nursing | Stockton | CA | Private for-profit | $326,024 | $14,918 | — |
| 7. JFK Muhlenberg Harold B. and Dorothy A. Snyder Schools | Plainfield | NJ | Private nonprofit | $325,216 | $40,644 | $73,894 |
| 8. Unitek College | Fremont | CA | Private for-profit | $325,180 | $25,179 | $79,550 |
| 9. UPMC Shadyside School of Nursing | Pittsburgh | PA | Private nonprofit | $314,816 | $29,374 | $68,801 |
| 10. UPMC Mercy School of Nursing | Pittsburgh | PA | Private nonprofit | $313,253 | $33,159 | $68,337 |
| 11. Western Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing | Pittsburgh | PA | Private nonprofit | $309,180 | $25,163 | $56,487 |
| 12. Citizens School of Nursing | Tarentum | PA | Private nonprofit | $305,076 | $28,480 | $69,939 |
| 13. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts | San Jose | CA | Private for-profit | $301,863 | $32,427 | $66,844 |
| 14. Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Teterboro | Hasbrouck Heights | NJ | Private for-profit | $299,187 | $24,800 | $73,971 |
| 15. Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing | Falls Church | VA | Private for-profit | $298,870 | $35,726 | — |
| 16. Brownson Technical School | Anaheim | CA | Private for-profit | $295,848 | $30,513 | $68,767 |
| 17. Saint Michael College of Allied Health | Washington | DC | Private for-profit | $294,654 | $38,751 | — |
| 18. UPMC Jameson School of Nursing | New Castle | PA | Private nonprofit | $293,498 | $22,889 | $70,472 |
| 19. Saint Elizabeth School of Nursing | Lafayette | IN | Private nonprofit | $290,122 | $21,827 | $65,230 |
| 20. Veeb Nassau County School of Practical Nursing | Hicksville | NY | Public | $289,834 | $39,938 | $62,185 |
| 21. Boston Architectural College | Boston | MA | Private nonprofit | $279,832 | $25,865 | $62,123 |
| 22. Aviator College of Aeronautical Science and Technology | Fort Pierce | FL | Private for-profit | $275,370 | $43,941 | $67,739 |
| 23. Galen Health Institutes-Pikeville | Pikeville | KY | Private for-profit | $273,514 | $28,475 | $61,480 |
| 24. Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics | West Mifflin | PA | Private nonprofit | $271,905 | $32,618 | $66,642 |
| 25. Electrical and HVAC/R Training Center | Copiague | NY | Private for-profit | $271,481 | $24,289 | — |
Median 10-year ROI of trade schools by type
All certificate-predominant schools with ROI data and 100+ students.
What the data shows
Trade schools that top this list tend to train for licensed, well-paid occupations such as nursing, electrical work, and commercial driving, while keeping total cost to a single year of net price.
Because ROI counts everyone who enrolled, schools with high completion rates look better. Pair this list with program-level earnings and completion data.
Methodology
10-year ROI = cumulative median earnings in years 6–10 after entry minus average net price × 1 year for certificate-predominant schools (College Scorecard predominant degree = 1). Schools with fewer than 100 students are excluded.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best trade school for value?
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing has the highest 10-year ROI among trade schools in our analysis at $417,659, based on College Scorecard data.
What is a typical trade school ROI?
The median certificate-focused school returns $143,307 over 10 years after subtracting one year of net price.
Are public trade schools a better value?
At the median, public trade schools return $169,900 versus $116,483 at for-profit schools.
Data sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard institution and field-of-study files (latest release in our extract)