Best Schools for Dental Assisting in 2026

513 schools ranked by TSW Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Dental Assisting, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Dental Assisting graduate earns $36,430/yr across 513 schools.

Programs Ranked
513
Avg Earnings
$36,430/yr
Avg TSW Score
52/100
AI-Proof Rating
Resilient
31% task exposure

All Dental Assisting Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School TSW Score Earnings ROI
1 Chabot College
Hayward, CA · Dental Assisting
79
75–80
$85,175/yr 349.1x
2 Cabrillo College
Aptos, CA · Dental Assisting
79
75–79
$74,741/yr 587.5x
3 Community College of Denver
Denver, CO · Dental Assisting
72
70–73
$76,712/yr 66.5x
4 Rose State College
Midwest City, OK · Dental Assisting
71
68–71
$70,427/yr 64.9x
5 Northern Virginia Community College
Annandale, VA · Dental Assisting
71
67–71
$70,727/yr 70.3x
6 Shoreline Community College
Shoreline, WA · Dental Assisting
74
71–74
$78,372/yr 92.3x
7 Mohave Community College
Kingman, AZ · Dental Assisting
76
73–77
$66,796/yr 155.4x
8 Southwestern College
Chula Vista, CA · Dental Assisting
78
74–78
$67,733/yr 251.0x
9 Daytona State College
Daytona Beach, FL · Dental Assisting
73
70–73
$63,591/yr 94.7x
10 Palm Beach State College
Lake Worth, FL · Dental Assisting
74
70–74
$63,723/yr 119.4x
11 Mount Wachusett Community College
Gardner, MA · Dental Assisting
68
65–68
$68,670/yr 49.8x
12 Quinsigamond Community College
Worcester, MA · Dental Assisting
67
65–67
$66,252/yr 55.1x
13 Tarrant County College District
Fort Worth, TX · Dental Assisting
77
73–77
$65,537/yr 172.9x
14 Milwaukee Area Technical College
Milwaukee, WI · Dental Assisting
69
66–69
$65,196/yr 53.8x
15 Pima Community College
Tucson, AZ · Dental Assisting
75
72–75
$62,481/yr 134.2x
16 Colorado Northwestern Community College
Rangely, CO · Dental Assisting
69
66–69
$62,148/yr 66.6x
17 Pueblo Community College
Pueblo, CO · Dental Assisting
75
71–75
$62,355/yr 126.7x
18 Delaware Technical Community College-Terry
Dover, DE · Dental Assisting
69
65–69
$59,975/yr 70.2x
19 Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL · Dental Assisting
73
69–73
$59,330/yr 109.1x
20 Hillsborough Community College
Tampa, FL · Dental Assisting
75
71–75
$62,731/yr 124.2x
21 St Petersburg College
St. Petersburg, FL · Dental Assisting
74
71–74
$62,093/yr 115.8x
22 College of DuPage
Glen Ellyn, IL · Dental Assisting
68
66–68
$59,215/yr 67.5x
23 College of Lake County
Grayslake, IL · Dental Assisting
69
67–69
$63,080/yr 70.2x
24 Rock Valley College
Rockford, IL · Dental Assisting
69
66–69
$59,574/yr 68.7x
25 Indian Hills Community College
Ottumwa, IA · Dental Assisting
66
64–67
$57,921/yr 58.4x
26 Iowa Central Community College
Fort Dodge, IA · Dental Assisting
66
64–66
$59,746/yr 54.7x
27 Johnson County Community College
Overland Park, KS · Dental Assisting
74
70–74
$57,969/yr 131.7x
28 Hagerstown Community College
Hagerstown, MD · Dental Assisting
69
66–69
$60,419/yr 68.9x
29 Saint Louis Community College
Bridgeton, MO · Dental Assisting
71
68–71
$60,906/yr 78.1x
30 NHTI-Concord's Community College
Concord, NH · Dental Assisting
66
64–66
$69,546/yr 44.9x
31 Bergen Community College
Paramus, NJ · Dental Assisting
69
66–69
$62,663/yr 66.0x
32 Middlesex College
Edison, NJ · Dental Assisting
70
65–70
$59,451/yr 76.1x
33 CUNY Hostos Community College
Bronx, NY · Dental Assisting
67
65–67
$62,426/yr 53.7x
34 Orange County Community College
Middletown, NY · Dental Assisting
66
63–66
$64,661/yr 45.5x
35 Central Carolina Community College
Sanford, NC · Dental Assisting
74
71–74
$60,458/yr 117.4x
36 Guilford Technical Community College
Jamestown, NC · Dental Assisting
74
71–74
$59,473/yr 127.0x
37 Tulsa Community College
Tulsa, OK · Dental Assisting
72
69–72
$63,224/yr 89.6x
38 Community College of Rhode Island
Warwick, RI · Dental Assisting
66
63–66
$58,860/yr 51.1x
39 Austin Community College District
Austin, TX · Dental Assisting
75
71–75
$60,475/yr 139.0x
40 Temple College
Temple, TX · Dental Assisting
73
69–73
$58,710/yr 110.5x
41 Virginia Western Community College
Roanoke, VA · Dental Assisting
67
64–67
$61,030/yr 61.7x
42 Madison Area Technical College
Madison, WI · Dental Assisting
67
65–67
$59,139/yr 60.9x
43 Waukesha County Technical College
Pewaukee, WI · Dental Assisting
69
66–69
$63,360/yr 64.0x
44 Northern Wyoming Community College District
Sheridan, WY · Dental Assisting
68
66–68
$62,229/yr 61.6x
45 Community College of Baltimore County
Baltimore, MD · Dental Assisting
70
67–70
$62,255/yr 74.1x
46 Mesa Community College
Mesa, AZ · Dental Assisting
74
70–74
$56,024/yr 135.0x
47 Eastern Florida State College
Melbourne, FL · Dental Assisting
73
70–73
$57,021/yr 84.7x
48 Gulf Coast State College
Panama City, FL · Dental Assisting
72
69–73
$54,550/yr 114.1x
49 Santa Fe College
Gainesville, FL · Dental Assisting
73
69–73
$56,722/yr 109.7x
50 Valencia College
Orlando, FL · Dental Assisting
73
70–73
$57,535/yr 115.9x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Dental Assisting?
Based on our TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Chabot College ranks #1 for Dental Assisting with a score of 79/100 and graduate earnings of $85,175/yr.
How much do Dental Assisting graduates earn?
Across 513 schools, Dental Assisting graduates earn an average of $36,430/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $85,175/yr.
Is Dental Assisting an AI-proof career?
Dental Assisting has an average AI task exposure of 31%, rated "Resilient". This trade is resilient to AI disruption — most tasks require physical presence and human judgment.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.