Active Report Report ID: EDU-111054-2026

California Hair Design Academy

La Mesa, CA 91942-5055

Avg. net price$23,607After aid
Graduation rate86.84%150% time
Median salary$19,34710yr post-entry
ROI105%10yr vs net cost

About California Hair Design Academy

California Hair Design Academy is a private for-profit trade school in La Mesa, California, enrolling about 98 students. Programs focus on certificates and workforce credentials that prepare students for skilled trades and technical careers. The published completion rate is about 86.84% at 150% of normal time. Median earnings about ten years after entry reach about $19,347 among students who received federal aid.

Key findings

  • Median earnings 10 years after entry are $19,347.

Cost benchmarks

Benchmark Median Tuition Median Net Price Count
California Hair Design Academy$23,6071
Private For-profit (national median)$16,637477
California (state median)$8,093$8,343287
Rural (locale median)$14,160$18,7001,649
United States (national median)$11,900$17,156

Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.

Cost

How expensive is California Hair Design Academy really?

Source College Scorecard + EDsmart aggregatesMethod Sticker vs net; peer mediansUpdated 2026 extractCoverage Undergraduate (Title IV net price)Confidence Federal extract

Evidence: average net price at California Hair Design Academy versus state, locale, and U.S. medians.

Average net price

What undergraduates typically pay

Finding Average net price at California Hair Design Academy is $23,607.

Evidence College Scorecard average net price is $23,607 (cost of attendance minus average grant aid for aided undergraduates). That is about $15,264 above the California median net price. Versus rural campuses, net price runs $4,907 above the locale median.

Method Average net price from College Scorecard; compared with state, locale, and U.S. medians from EDsmart aggregates.

Interpretation Average net price is a stronger institutional cost signal than published tuition because it incorporates grant aid.

Limitation The campus average masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average.

School guide

California Hair Design Academy: research record

Canonical EDsmart Data findings for California Hair Design Academy—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.

Research findings

Interpretation

The combination of completion and 10-year earnings is a multidimensional outcomes signal; it does not measure educational quality by itself.

Financial profile

Avg. net price

$23,607

Net price by family income

Income bracketAvg. annual net price
$0–$30,000$23,607

Student outcomes

First-year retention87.5%

Share of first-year students returning the following fall.

$15,702Median earnings (6 years after entry)

Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.

Is California Hair Design Academy a good school?

Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.

California Hair Design Academy is a good school for those looking for strong completion alongside solid mid-career earnings.

EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.

Strong completionEarnings outcomes
Campus snapshot

More from the data

Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for California Hair Design Academy.

Campus

Location

La Mesa, CA

City / state

ZIP
91942-5055
NCES locale
Rural fringe

Compared with Rural campuses nationally, net price is 26% above the median for Rural campuses ($18,700 median).

Control

Institution type

Private For-profit

Control

Region
Far West

Size

Enrollment

98

Total enrollment

Undergraduate
147
Full-time share
100%

Student aid

Debt & aid

$6,333

Median federal loan debt

Pell grant share
47.73%
Cost detail

Total Cost, Aid & Default

Total Cost of Attendance

$94,428Estimated 4-year total cost
$23,607Average annual net price (after aid)

Costs include tuition and fees. Room & board, books, and other expenses are additional where not shown.

Tuition vs average net price after aid for California Hair Design Academy.

Financial Aid by Income Level

47.73% Undergraduates receiving aid through grants
51.14% Undergraduates receiving aid through loans

Financial aid distribution by income level.

Student Loan Default Rate

0.00% 3-year cohort default rate (College Scorecard)

The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at California Hair Design Academy was 0.00%.

Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.

Multi-year tracker

Tuition tracker

Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for California Hair Design Academy in that year.

Reporting years in the table below: 20132023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).

Year In-state tuition & fees Out-of-state tuition & fees Average net price
2013$15,449
2014$15,333
2015$15,500
2016$14,373
2017$18,521
2018$12,431
2019$21,545
2020$30,135
2021$21,111
2022$25,212
2023$40,350

Sticker tuition and net price over time

Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.

College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).

Net price by family income

Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).

Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.

Access

How difficult is it to get in?

Acceptance Rate

Acceptance rate data is not available for this institution.

Admissions funnel data is not available for this institution.

Test Scores

Test score data is not available for this institution.

Score distribution is not available for this institution.

Academic Requirements

GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.

Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.

Student body

Enrollment & Student Demographics

California Hair Design Academy reported total enrollment of about 98 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 24% male and 76% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes White (43.9%), Hispanic or Latino (27.6%), and Two or More Races (15.3%). About 47.73% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 53.9% of students are first-generation college students.

Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment

100.0% Full-Time Enrollment

The total enrollment at California Hair Design Academy in 2024 is 98 students.

Undergraduate enrollment is about 147 students.

Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.

Retention Rate over Time

87.5%
2024 Retention Rate

Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.

Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.

Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity

43.9%White or Caucasian
9Reported race/ethnicity groups

Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.

  • White or Caucasian43.9%
  • Hispanic or Latino27.6%
  • Two or More Races15.3%
  • Asian6.1%
  • Black or African American5.1%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native1.0%
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander1.0%
  • Non-Resident Alien0.0%
  • Race/ethnicity unknown0.0%

College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).

Outcomes

Do students complete their programs?

Time to Complete

13.16% 100% Completion Time

86.84% 150% Completion Time

In 2024, 13.16% of students graduating from California Hair Design Academy completed their program within 100% "normal time".

Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.

Completions by Sex (Top Programs)

  • Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General: 6% male / 94% female
  • Aesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care Specialist: 3% male / 97% female
  • Barbering/Barber: 76% male / 24% female

IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).

Completions by Race & Ethnicity

45Hispanic or Latino
7Reported groups

Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.

  • Hispanic or Latino45
  • White or Caucasian30
  • Two or More Races17
  • Black or African American6
  • Asian3
  • American Indian or Alaska Native0
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander0

Summed across program completion records in our extract.

Outcomes & academic profile

California Hair Design Academy graduates earn a median of $19,347 ten years after entry

Source College ScorecardMethod Earnings + debt + net price modelsUpdated 2026 extractCoverage Institution-wideConfidence Federal extract

Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of California Hair Design Academy.

Evidence Median earnings 10 years after entry: $19,347. Median federal loan debt: $6,333. Average net price used in cost models: $23,607.

Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.

Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.

Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.

Key takeaway California Hair Design Academy graduates report median earnings of $19,347 ten years after entry—an institution-wide outcomes signal, not a program guarantee.

Return on Investment

105%Modeled return on investment
$6,333Median student debt
$19,347Median annual earnings (10 years)
32.73%Debt-to-earnings ratio
3.3 yearsEstimated payback period

Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for California Hair Design Academy.

Top Programs by Completions

Largest 3 programs by IPEDS completions (4 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).

IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at California Hair Design Academy.

Employment Outcomes

$19,347Median earnings (10 years after entry)
$15,702Median earnings (6 years after entry)
$23,629Median earnings (8 years after entry)
65.90%Working & not enrolled (8-year cohort share)

Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for California Hair Design Academy graduates.

Institutional resources

Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for California Hair Design Academy—instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.

Instructional Resources

  • Instructional expenditure per FTE: $3,017
    • California median 0.47× the median ($6,474)
    • Far West median 0.43× the median ($7,030)
    • U.S. median 0.41× the median ($7,288)

Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.

Scorecard instructional metrics where reported.

California Hair Design Academy at a glance

Institution snapshot

California Hair Design Academy

La Mesa, CA 91942-5055 · Private For-profit · Far West

California Hair Design Academy is a private for-profit institution in La Mesa, CA.

Avg. net price$23,607
Enrollment98
Completion (150%)86.84%
Pell Grant share47.73%
First-generation53.9%
Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, GeneralAesthetician/Esthetician and Skin Care SpecialistBarbering/Barber
Largest enrollment groups
White or Caucasian43.9%
Hispanic or Latino27.6%
Two or More Races15.3%
Nearby

Schools near California Hair Design Academy

Other campuses in La Mesa, CA when available, plus nearby institutions in California.

Peers

Similar schools

Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade C) within California, then by similar ownership and admissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is California Hair Design Academy located?

California Hair Design Academy is located in La Mesa, CA.

How much does California Hair Design Academy cost?

Reported tuition is N/A and average net price is $23,607 in the latest College Scorecard data.

What explains California Hair Design Academy's return on investment in EDsmart Data?

EDsmart Data models ROI using campus average net price ($23,607), completion (86.8% within 150% of normal time where reported), and median earnings ten years after entry ($19,347). High completion and strong mid-career earnings relative to net cost raise modeled ROI; the estimate is institution-wide and not program-specific. Debt-to-earnings ratios, when available, further contextualize borrowing pressure. Limitations include suppressed fields, program mix, and labor-market variation over time.

What is the student body demographics at California Hair Design Academy?

California Hair Design Academy reports undergraduate enrollment of about 147 students, White (43.9%), Hispanic or Latino (27.6%) in federal College Scorecard data.

How many first-generation students attend California Hair Design Academy?

About 53.9% of students at California Hair Design Academy are first-generation college students.

What do graduates of California Hair Design Academy earn?

Median earnings are $15,702 six years after entry and $19,347 ten years after entry.

What is the graduation rate at California Hair Design Academy?

The 150%-time completion rate is 86.8% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.

How much debt do California Hair Design Academy students have?

Median federal loan debt among completers is $6,333.

Is California Hair Design Academy public or private?

California Hair Design Academy is a private for-profit institution located in La Mesa, CA.

Is California Hair Design Academy an HBCU?

No. California Hair Design Academy is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.

Is California Hair Design Academy a tribal college?

No. California Hair Design Academy is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.

Is California Hair Design Academy a Hispanic-serving institution (HSI)?

By the common federal eligibility proxy used here (≥25% Hispanic enrollment in College Scorecard), yes—California Hair Design Academy reports 27.6% Hispanic enrollment share.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology & Data Scope

This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.

Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.