La Puente proper offers exactly one vocational nursing option: Hacienda La Puente Adult Education. Everything else that trains LVNs sits outside city limits, which means the real decision facing a 91744 resident is how far to drive, not whether a hometown program exists.
Within thirty minutes, the field opens up considerably. West Covina, El Monte, Baldwin Park, Pomona, and Downtown Los Angeles , home to many LVN programs in Los Angeles , all host BVNPT-approved programs with different price points, schedules, and NCLEX-PN pass rates worth comparing before you enroll.
Tuition tiers, approval status, evening and weekend formats, funding routes, the licensure steps after graduation, and whether an LVN to RN in California bridge is your endgame all matter before you enroll. Jump straight to the program list →
Where LVNs Actually Work in the San Gabriel Valley
The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro, a major destination for graduates of LVN programs in California, employed 33,590 licensed vocational nurses as of May 2025, with a median wage of $79,310 a year (about $38.13 an hour).1 That is one of the largest LVN labor markets in the country, and La Puente sits near the middle of it. Local postings run lower than the metro median in some settings (roughly $30 to $31 an hour in La Puente listings updated in 2026, and a median of $31.98 in Pomona), while home health and per diem work advertise far higher rates.2
What a California LVN Can and Cannot Do
The Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians licenses LVNs to deliver direct nursing care under the direction of a physician or registered nurse: administering medications, wound care, catheter and tube care, specimen collection, monitoring vital signs, and charting. Certified nursing assistants handle personal care and basic support but cannot give medications. RNs carry the independent assessment, care planning, and IV-therapy authority that LVNs only exercise in limited, separately certified ways. In practice, that scope is why LVNs dominate settings built around repeat, protocol-driven care.
The Employers Within Commuting Range
- Skilled nursing and assisted living: Penn Mar Healthcare Center and Sunset Manor Convalescent Hospital in El Monte, Gallaher Signature Living Park View Place in Covina, and Grand Lodge, Masonic Homes and Acacia Creek in Covina all post LVN roles, frequently on PM, night, or on-call shifts.3410
- Home health and hospice: Alta Home Health Care Services in San Gabriel, Nurses Direct USA in La Puente, Maxim Healthcare Services in West Covina, and Aarris Healthcare Staffing cover field visits across West Covina, El Monte, Rosemead, Arcadia, and Pasadena.5678
- Hospitals and behavioral health: Emanate Health in West Covina and Covina, PIH Health in Whittier, Aurora Behavioral Healthcare Charter Oak in Covina, and USC Keck in Arcadia hire LVNs, though usually into transitional care units, outpatient clinics, or behavioral health rather than acute medical-surgical floors, which remain RN-staffed.349
- Clinics, schools, and registries: Vital Nurse Services places school nurses in West Covina; Absolute Nurse Registry staffs contract work across Los Angeles County.610
The volume is in long term care, home health, and outpatient clinics. Plan your job search accordingly.
What LVNs Earn Across the Los Angeles Metro
Pay for licensed vocational nurses around La Puente sits well above the national picture, but the spread is wide. Where you work drives most of that gap: skilled nursing facilities and correctional or home health assignments typically pay at the higher end, while outpatient clinics and physician offices often cluster near the lower quartiles. Shift differentials and overtime push experienced LVNs toward the upper figures.
Hacienda La Puente Adult Education: The In-City LVN Option
What does it actually cost to become an LVN without leaving La Puente? Roughly $9,000, all in, at Hacienda La Puente Adult Education's vocational nursing program, which runs out of the Willow Center with clinical rotations at partner sites. That figure is the single biggest reason local students look here first.
Cost and what's included
Two official numbers circulate. The program page lists a total program cost of $8,807, subject to change. The school's gainful employment disclosure, updated more recently, puts the full program at $9,008 for students who finish in normal time, and that version explicitly includes materials and supplies. Neither breaks out tuition versus books, uniforms, and testing fees, so ask for a current itemized sheet at the information session. A per-course range of $1,025 to $2,158 gives you a sense of how payments are staged. The school also reports that students who complete on schedule typically leave with no debt, which is the sharpest contrast with private vocational schools in the San Gabriel Valley, where LVN programs routinely run three to five times higher.
Schedule and length
The certificate covers 1,530 total theory and clinical hours and can be completed in 36 weeks, or roughly nine months, by students moving at normal pace. Coursework is sequenced as VN Fundamentals, VN 1, and VN 2, spanning pharmacology, medical-surgical, pediatric, maternity, and psychiatric content. Class times vary by cohort and include some evenings and Saturdays. Exact daily hours and 2026 cohort start dates are not published, so call the Willow Center directly for the next intake rather than assuming a rolling start.
Getting in
Requirements are specific and non-negotiable on paper: be 18 or older, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and carry a current, valid CNA certification before sitting for the CASAS assessment. You then need qualifying CASAS scores, completion of the Transitions to Nursing Module, and attendance at an information session. The AAS materials also reference TABE testing and a health screening; whether that applies to certificate applicants or only the degree track is worth clarifying in person.
The AAS bridge
After California LVN licensure, graduates can add 30 units of general education with grades of C or better, at Rio Hondo or another accredited institution, and apply toward an Associate of Applied Science. If an LPN to RN Bridge Program is your endgame, confirm which of those units transfer before you pay for a single course.
Who it fits: cost-conscious local students with a CNA already in hand who can commit to one fixed cohort schedule.
BVNPT Approval Status and NCLEX-PN Pass Rates at Nearby Programs
Two numbers matter when you evaluate a vocational nursing program in California: whether the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT) currently lists the program in good standing, and how many of its graduates pass the NCLEX-PN on the first attempt. The figures below come from BVNPT board meeting records and program-published pass-rate data, and they were reported in different years, so they are snapshots rather than a clean apples-to-apples ranking. Approval status in particular changes between board meetings, and for several programs near La Puente the current status is not stated in the records we were able to confirm, so verify any program directly with the BVNPT before you enroll. We have also included two out-of-area California programs for context on what the upper end of first-time pass performance looks like statewide.
| Program | City | BVNPT Status | Most Recent NCLEX-PN First-Time Pass Rate | Reporting Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hacienda La Puente Adult Education, Vocational Nursing Program | La Puente | Full approval granted for a four-year period beginning February 19, 2021 (term ran through February 19, 2024; current status should be confirmed with the BVNPT) | 67% | Calendar year 2020 |
| North-West College, West Covina, Vocational Nursing Program | West Covina | Not stated in available records; confirm with the BVNPT | 68% | Calendar year 2025 |
| Stanbridge University, Los Angeles Campus, Vocational Nursing Program | Los Angeles | Not stated in available records; confirm with the BVNPT | 95% | Most recent reporting period 2023 to 2024 |
| Platt College, Alhambra, Vocational Nursing Program | Alhambra | Not stated in available records; confirm with the BVNPT | 43% | Most current data available for October to December 2023 (annual average for that period) |
| California Career Institute, Anaheim, Vocational Nursing Program | Anaheim | Not stated in available records; confirm with the BVNPT | 72% | Calendar year 2024 |
| Hartnell College, Vocational Nursing Program (included for statewide context, outside commuting range) | Salinas | Not stated in available records; confirm with the BVNPT | 100% (24 of 24 first-time takers) | Calendar year 2024 |
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Admission Requirements, Program Length, and Evening or Weekend Schedules
A day-only lockstep cohort and an evening/weekend track lead to the same license, but they ask for very different things from your life. The first demands you clear your weekdays for roughly a year. The second stretches the same curriculum over closer to two years so you can keep a paycheck. Around La Puente, LVN programs in Los Angeles and LVN programs in Pasadena, CA keep both formats within a reasonable drive.
What Almost Every Program Asks For
Requirements vary by school and not every campus publishes a full list, so verify directly with admissions. That said, the recurring pattern across California vocational nursing programs looks like this:
- Education: High school diploma or GED.
- Entrance exam: Commonly the TEAS, HESI, or a Wonderlic-style assessment. CNI College, for example, accepts a Wonderlic score of 18, a HESI score around 75 percent, or TEAS VII at 50 percent, and requires an ATI prep module before the nursing sequence begins.
- Clearances: Criminal background check and fingerprinting, plus a drug screen before clinical placement.
- Health records: Full immunization documentation, a physical exam, and current CPR certification at the healthcare provider level.
- Extras at some schools: A CNA certificate or a prerequisite anatomy and physiology course. This is program-specific, not universal.
Realistic Timelines
Full-time programs in this region typically run 12 to 14 months. Angeles College advertises a 12-month part-time evening/weekend vocational nursing program, CDI School of Nursing runs 13 months full-time with a November 16, 2026 start, and National Career College in Panorama City lists 14 months. Hacienda La Puente Adult Education's in-city program runs 36 weeks. Part-time and evening tracks stretch longer: Cal Institute's evening and weekend format is closer to 20 months.
Evening and Weekend Reality Check
Angeles College, Cal Institute, National Career College, Marian College, and CNI College all advertise evening or weekend formats, and American Career College lists weekend options. Here is the catch worth understanding before you sign anything: "evening" usually describes theory only. CNI schedules lecture on weeknights but puts labs and clinicals on Saturday and Sunday. Other programs place clinical rotations in daytime hospital shifts regardless of when class meets. CDI and Long Beach City College in Long Beach, CA are weekday day programs with no evening theory cohort.
Before applying, ask three questions: When is the application deadline and how often does a new cohort start? Is the waitlist first-come or ranked by entrance exam score? And exactly which days and hours will clinicals occupy?
From Graduation to a California LVN License
Finishing a vocational nursing program in La Puente is the halfway point. The Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT) controls everything that happens next, and the order matters: skip a step or submit an incomplete packet and you sit idle while classmates test. Here is the sequence, with the fees you should budget for in 2026.
What LVN Training Costs Near La Puente
An LVN program near La Puente costs different amounts by tier, and the sticker price is never the full bill. Across the ranked schools serving this area, the institution-wide average net price after aid sits close to $12,500, but that figure hides a spread from under $4,000 to nearly $24,000.
Low-Cost Tier: Community Colleges and Adult Education
In the affordable LPN programs tier, community colleges charge by unit rather than a flat program fee, so part-time students can spread costs across more semesters, though they may pay campus health, student, and material fees each term. Published in-state tuition and fees at the ranked public colleges sit under $1,600 per year: Pasadena City College ($1,180), Chaffey College ($1,184), Citrus College ($1,204), Rio Hondo College ($1,388), and Long Beach City College ($1,556). Average net price after aid is an institution-wide figure, not your exact program quote, and ranges from about $3,900 at PCC to about $14,400 at Rio Hondo. Downey Adult School, the adult-education option, lists a total program tuition of $17,999 including books and administration fees, with an average net price near $13,700.
Where debt is reported, median federal debt at completion is lower in this tier: $5,500 at Rio Hondo, $6,650 at Pasadena, $7,850 at Citrus, and $10,500 at Long Beach. Chaffey and Downey have not published debt figures.
Private Vocational Schools: Higher Price, Faster Timeline
Private schools near La Puente carry higher net prices. Integrity College of Health lands around $14,800, Homestead Schools near $16,000, Platt College around $22,700, and Angeles Institute near $23,800. Median debt at completion follows the same pattern: $13,200 at Integrity, $17,240 at Angeles, $18,040 at Homestead, and $18,700 at Platt. Monthly repayment estimates are not published for these programs, so use a loan calculator before committing.
Budget Beyond Tuition
Every program, public or private, has costs outside tuition: uniforms and shoes, books, a stethoscope, immunizations and titers, background check and drug screen, CPR certification, and the NCLEX-PN application and California licensing fees. Plan for several hundred to over $1,000 in extras, and ask each school for a written total-cost estimate.
Free and Low-Cost Routes: Aid, WIOA, and Employer Sponsorship
Is there actually a free LVN program in La Puente? Not in the literal sense. What exists are subsidized and eligibility-gated seats: public adult-education pricing, workforce dollars that can cover tuition for people who qualify, and employers who pay your way in exchange for a service commitment. Any of those can bring your out-of-pocket cost close to zero, but none of them are open to everyone who walks in.
The workforce funding channels
Los Angeles County's Department of Economic Opportunity administers WIOA Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs, delivered through America's Job Centers of California.2 The nearest access points for La Puente residents include the Pomona Valley AJCC, which handles county WIOA applications for that side of the San Gabriel Valley, and the AJCC at 5301 Whittier Boulevard in Los Angeles, open weekdays 8:00am to 5:00pm.3 Typical adult eligibility includes household income below 200% of the federal poverty level, unemployment or underemployment, veteran status, or receipt of public assistance such as CalWORKs, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, or SSI.1
The process is consistent: locate your AJCC, complete WIOA intake and eligibility determination, choose a school from the state's Eligible Training Provider list, and receive an Individual Training Account that pays the provider directly.1 One honest caveat: county workforce materials openly reference funded CNA and allied-health training,1 and the 2025-2028 plans dedicate funds to health care apprenticeships, but LVN is not specifically named.4 Ask your AJCC counselor whether the LVN program you want is currently on the approved provider list before you count on it.
Employer sponsorship and the order of operations
Skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies across the San Gabriel Valley routinely sponsor tuition for aides who want to advance toward an LPN/LVN degree, usually tied to a repayment agreement: stay employed for an agreed term after licensure or repay a prorated share. Read the service commitment and the repayment trigger before signing.
Federal aid matters here too. At the community colleges serving this area, the overwhelming majority of students receive Pell Grants, which tells you how aid-dependent this student population is. Non-credit adult-education programs typically cannot access federal aid at all, which is why their sticker price is lower to begin with.
Work in this order: file the FAFSA, complete AJCC intake, then chase school-level scholarships and employer sponsorship.
Top LVN Programs Serving La Puente and the San Gabriel Valley
Below are the top LVN programs serving La Puente students, ranked by completion data, net price, and program fit. Every campus here sits outside La Puente city limits but within a normal commute of the 91744 ZIP code, and each one prepares graduates for the NCLEX-PN and California licensure. Distances are measured from La Puente so you can check the drive before you check the brochure.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt
- Graduation and completion rates
- Net price and cost tier
- Program fit for commuters
- College Scorecard graduate earnings — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Internal program database
- Independent editorial research
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering graduation rates, student-faculty ratios and net price — nces.ed.gov
Homestead Schools
Homestead Schools is in Torrance, about 30 miles southwest of La Puente via the 605 and 105, with roughly 93 percent completion, the highest here. Median graduate debt is $18,040 and median earnings ten years after entry are $59,398. The blended program uses open admission and a part-time weekend track, which suits San Gabriel Valley commuters who work weekdays.
Vocational Nursing Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Concorde Career College-Garden Grove
Concorde's Garden Grove campus is about 27 miles south of La Puente off the 605 and 22, near the Euclid Street corridor. The 13-month diploma and the 20-month evening and weekend option each include 757 clinical hours, with articulation agreements and a Futuro Health sponsorship route for funding. Median graduate debt is $13,000, the lowest among private schools here, and median earnings ten years after entry are $45,711.
Practical / Vocational Nursing Diploma Program — On-Campus
Concorde Career College-North Hollywood
The North Hollywood campus is about 30 miles northwest of La Puente, just off the SR-170 at Victory Boulevard with free parking and nearby transit. The BVNPT-approved diploma runs 13 months full time or 20 months on evenings and weekends, with 198 lab hours and 757 clinical hours. Median graduate debt is $9,500 and median earnings ten years after entry are $50,552.
Vocational Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Pasadena City College
Pasadena City College is a public community college about 20 miles northwest of La Puente along the 605 and 210, and it carries the lowest cost tier in this ranking. The Certificate of Achievement runs two semesters plus a summer intersession and feeds the campus Career Ladder LVN-to-RN pathway. Median graduate debt is $6,651 and median earnings ten years after entry are $43,937. Applications are accepted each March.
Vocational Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
American Career College-Los Angeles
American Career College's Los Angeles campus sits about 25 miles west of La Puente, just off the 101 at Vermont, with more than 800 clinical hours at area facilities. The 12-month diploma and the 18-month evening and weekend track are both BVNPT approved. Median graduate debt is $9,500 and median earnings ten years after entry are $38,430, the lowest in this group, so compare the price against the outcomes.
Vocational Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Platt College-Anaheim
Platt College's Anaheim campus is roughly 30 miles southeast of La Puente via the 60 and 57, and it awards an Associate of Science alongside the diploma, which is useful for later transfer. Training takes about 18 months and 118 credit hours, with an entrance exam and a campus interview required. Median graduate debt is $18,685, the highest here, against median earnings ten years after entry of $40,669.
Vocational Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
American Career College-Anaheim
The Anaheim campus is about 30 miles southeast of La Puente off the 5 and 91 and runs the same BVNPT-approved curriculum as American Career College's Los Angeles and Ontario sites. Students choose a 12-month daytime track or an 18-month evening and weekend schedule with 800 clinical hours and simulation labs. Median graduate debt is $9,500 and median earnings ten years after entry are $38,430.
Vocational Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Angeles Institute
Angeles Institute is in Artesia, about 20 miles south of La Puente along the 605, making it one of the closer private options. The 11-month, four-term program includes books and uniforms and finishes with NCLEX preparation through HESI. Median graduate debt is $17,238 and median earnings ten years after entry are $61,195, the highest here, though the program has held provisional BVNPT approval since August 2025.
Vocational Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Citrus College
Citrus College in Glendora is the closest campus to La Puente on this list, roughly 10 miles north along the 605 and 210, and it prices at public community college rates. The Certificate of Achievement places students with partners including City of Hope and Kaiser Permanente, and Citrus runs a concurrent enrollment nursing partnership with Azusa Pacific University. Median graduate debt is $7,851 and median earnings ten years after entry are $42,065.
Vocational Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
North-West College-West Covina
North-West College's West Covina campus is the nearest private LVN option to La Puente, about six miles west on the 10 freeway. Training runs about 64 weeks and 1,692 clock hours with day and evening options through the Marsha Fuerst School of Nursing network. Median graduate debt is $9,500 and median earnings ten years after entry are $37,542, and an RN program has been added at this campus.
Vocational Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
More Schools Within Commuting Distance of La Puente
The ranking above covers the ten programs closest to La Puente. Below is a directory of additional vocational nursing programs within roughly 30 miles, grouped by corridor so you can scan the side of the valley that fits your commute. These entries are not ranked.
San Gabriel Valley
- Vocational Nursing Program
- Vocational Nursing
- Vocational Nursing
- Vocational Nursing Program
Greater Los Angeles
- Vocational Nursing
- Vocational Nursing Program
- Licensed Vocational Nurse School in Los Angeles
Long Beach Area
- Vocational Nurse
- Vocational Nursing
Inland Empire
- Vocational Nursing
- Vocational Nursing
Orange County
- Vocational Nurse
- Vocational Nursing Diploma Program
- Vocational Nursing Program
- Vocational Nursing
California by City
- Anaheim, CA
- Antioch, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Canoga Park, CA
- Chula Vista, CA
- Concord, CA
- Corona, CA
- Downey, CA
- Fremont, CA
- Fresno, CA
- Irvine, CA
- Lancaster, CA
- Livermore, CA
- Long Beach, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Moreno Valley, CA
- North Hollywood, CA
- Oakland, CA
- Palmdale, CA
- Pasadena, CA
- Pomona, CA
- Rancho Cucamonga, CA
- Richmond, CA
- Riverside, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- San Bernardino, CA
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- San Mateo, CA
- Santa Ana, CA
- Santa Monica, CA
- Stockton, CA
- Thousand Oaks, CA
- Torrance, CA
