Sacramento School Rankings, 2026

Best Aviation Maintenance Schools Near Sacramento, CA (2026)

This ranking orders the aviation maintenance schools near Sacramento by score: graduation rate, cost, program depth, access, and size. Sacramento City College ranks first with 63.8 out of 100.

CaliforniaNevada 100 mi 8 mi32 mi71 mi80 mi Sacramento
  • Sacramento center
  • School, miles from center
  • 100-mile radius

Schools near Sacramento, by straight-line distance

  • Sacramento City College (McClellan): 8 miles
  • Solano Community College (Vacaville): 32 miles
  • College of Alameda (Alameda): 71 miles
  • Aviation Institute of Maintenance Fremont (Fremont): 80 miles

Sacramento at a Glance

Aviation Maintenance Schools Near Sacramento

4

Within 100 mi, FAA 2026

Top Score Nearby

63.8

Sacramento City College

Aircraft Mechanic Jobs, Sacramento Metro

510

BLS OEWS, May 2025

Metro Median Pay

$82,420

BLS OEWS, May 2025

Location Quotient

0.54

BLS OEWS, May 2025

Area covered: Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA Metropolitan Statistical Area (CBSA 40900).

Dassault Falcon Jet operates a business-jet service center at Sacramento McClellan Airport, part of the redeveloped former McClellan Air Force Base. The U.S. Coast Guard also runs Air Station Sacramento there, servicing search-and-rescue helicopters. Local aircraft mechanics and service technicians earn a median $82,420 a year, above the $79,870 U.S. median for the occupation.

Sacramento City College's aviation program, based at McClellan, is 8.3 miles away with a four-semester path to an associate degree or certificate. Solano Community College in Vacaville, 32.1 miles out, offers airframe, powerplant, or combined certificate and degree tracks. College of Alameda, 71 miles away, and Aviation Institute of Maintenance's Fremont campus, 79.8 miles away, extend the options into the Bay Area.

Top Picks

Top Picks Near Sacramento

Among the aviation maintenance schools near Sacramento, a pick appears only when one school clearly leads on its figure; ties produce none.

  • Top Pick Near Sacramento

    Sacramento City College

    McClellan, California #1, score 63.8

    Highest overall score of the 4 ranked schools, 63.8 out of 100.

  • Most Affordable Near Sacramento

    College of Alameda

    Alameda, California #2, score 63.7

    Lowest comparable program cost of the 2 ranked schools with one: $2,208, from IPEDS in-state tuition and the published length.

  • Best Outcomes Near Sacramento

    Solano Community College

    Vacaville, California #4, score 40.4

    Highest IPEDS graduation rate of the 3 ranked schools that report one: 36%.

Sacramento Ranking

Top-Ranked Aviation Maintenance Schools Near Sacramento

The ranked aviation maintenance schools within 100 miles of Sacramento, ordered by score. Scores are national, out of 100, and the table after the cards shows the points behind them.

Distances are straight-line miles from the center of Sacramento.

Score bars: Outcomes (30)Cost (25)Program Depth (20)Access (15)Scale (10)

    • Top Pick Near Sacramento

    #1

    Sacramento City College

    McClellan, California 8 miles from Sacramento #17 nationally

    63.8 of 100

    This program suits students able to start only in summer and attend evening or Saturday classes, at one of the longest-running aircraft mechanic schools, based at McClellan Hangar near Sacramento, California.

    Type
    Community College
    Credentials
    Associate in Science (A.S.) degree; Certificate of Achievement
    Length
    Four semesters (2 years)
    Cost
    $3,220, total program, California resident (as of Fall 2022)
    GI Bill
    Approved
    Schedule
    Monday to Friday, 3:30pm-9:35pm, and some selected Saturdays
    Starts
    Summer (required entry course AMTP 309 offered only in Summer)
    • Most Affordable Near Sacramento

    #2

    College of Alameda

    Alameda, California 71 miles from Sacramento #19 nationally

    63.7 of 100

    College of Alameda suits someone who can commit to two years of evening classes, five days a week, and who can wait, since the school has paused new Aviation Maintenance Technology applications for the next two years.

    Type
    Community College
    Credentials
    Associate of Science (AS) in Airframe; Associate of Science (AS) in Powerplant; plus 2 more
    Length
    Two years full-time, or part-time option, delivered in 18-week blocks
    GI Bill
    Approved
    Schedule
    Evening, five days a week from 3:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. (holidays excluded)
    Admissions
    The school notes it is not accepting new applications for the next two years due to demand
  1. #3

    Aviation Institute of Maintenance Fremont

    Fremont, California 80 miles from Sacramento #126 nationally

    41.7 of 100

    Bay Area students drawn to aerospace and airline employers like United Airlines, Archer Aviation, and NASA, and who want transit access via BART or ACE trains, are the best fit for the Fremont campus.

    Type
    Private Aviation School
    Credentials
    Certificate
    GI Bill
    Approved
    Schedule
    day/evening classes
    • Best Outcomes Near Sacramento

    #4

    Solano Community College

    Vacaville, California 32 miles from Sacramento #141 nationally

    40.4 of 100

    Solano Community College fits students who want flexibility between a single-rating certificate, a single-rating degree, or a combined airframe-and-powerplant path, all taught at a hangar facility at Nut Tree Airport.

    Type
    Community College
    Credentials
    Certificate of Achievement (Airframe or Powerplant), 41 units; Associate in Science Degree (Airframe or Powerplant), 41-unit major plus GE to 60+ units; plus 2 more
    Length
    41-unit major (single rating) or 62-unit combined major (Airframe & Powerplant)
Points by Factor: Aviation Maintenance Schools Near Sacramento
RankSchoolScoreOutcomes (30)Cost (25)Program Depth (20)Access (15)Scale (10)
1Sacramento City College63.89.122.314153.4
2College of Alameda63.79.124.914105.7
3AIM Fremont41.7010
4Solano Community College40.412.31401.6
Points by factor, methodology 2.1. † Peer median: the school has no figure for that factor, so it scores that factor's peer median (Outcomes 15, Cost 12.5, Scale its median among schools with an awards figure).

See the full best aviation maintenance schools in California ranking.

BLS Wage Data

Aircraft Mechanic Salary in Sacramento

Aircraft mechanics in the Sacramento metro area earn a median of $82,420 a year ($39.63 an hour), $3,680 below the California median of $86,100.

Aircraft Mechanic Salary, Sacramento Metro $82,420median/yr ($39.63/hr)
$56,490 $118,840
Box shows the 25th to 75th percentile. Line spans the 10th to 90th percentile. BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Sacramento Pay vs. California and U.S. Medians

The Sacramento median is $2,550 above the U.S. median of $79,870.

Median Annual Aircraft Mechanic Wage
Sacramento metro $82,420
United States $79,870

BLS OEWS, May 2025

Compare metro areas across the state on the California aircraft mechanic salary page, or see the national aircraft mechanic salary breakdown.

Local Employers

Where Aircraft Mechanics Work in Sacramento

BLS counts 510 aircraft mechanic jobs in the Sacramento metro area as of May 2025, a location quotient of 0.54.

A location quotient above 1.00 means these jobs make up a larger share of local employment than they do nationally.

  • Business Aviation

    Dassault Falcon Jet - Sacramento McClellan

    Business jet service center at Sacramento McClellan Airport / McClellan Park

    Dassault Falcon Jet operates a business-jet service center as a tenant at Sacramento McClellan Airport, part of the redeveloped former McClellan Air Force Base.

    Source: Sacramento McClellan Airport (Wikipedia)

  • Helicopter Operations

    Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento

    Joint civil-military helicopter air station at Sacramento McClellan Airport

    The U.S. Coast Guard operates Air Station Sacramento at Sacramento McClellan Airport, a joint civil-military facility where Coast Guard aviation maintenance technicians service search-and-rescue helicopters.

    Source: Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento on Wikipedia (Wikipedia)

Airports

Commercial and Cargo Airports in the Area

Sacramento International (SMF) recorded 6,679,426 passenger boardings in 2024, the most of the airports listed here.

FAA Commercial Service and All-Cargo Airports, Sacramento Area
AirportFAA IDHub ClassPassenger Boardings, 2024All-Cargo Landed Weight, 2024 (lb)
Sacramento InternationalSMFMedium hub6,679,426468,291,556
Sacramento MatherMHR506,784,500
FAA CY2024 enplanement and all-cargo landed weight data.

Local Context

Cargo Weight at Sacramento Mather Airport

Sacramento Mather Airport landed 506,784,500 pounds of cargo in 2024, cargo work separate from the passenger traffic at Sacramento International. Sacramento International itself landed 468,291,556 pounds of cargo the same year while handling 6,679,426 enplanements.

Two Federal-Adjacent Employers at McClellan

Dassault Falcon Jet's Sacramento McClellan service center sits on the former McClellan Air Force Base, redeveloped as McClellan Park. The U.S. Coast Guard's Air Station Sacramento operates from the same field, a joint civil-military facility where Coast Guard aviation maintenance technicians service search-and-rescue helicopters.

Aviation Maintenance Schools Near Sacramento: Common Questions

What Schools Train Aircraft Mechanics Near Sacramento?

What Do Aircraft Mechanics Earn in Sacramento?

Who Are the Largest Aviation Maintenance Employers in Sacramento?

How Far Is Aviation Maintenance Training From Sacramento?

Do Hours at a Local Employer Count Toward FAA Mechanic Certification?

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California

See the Best Aviation Maintenance Schools in California

The California ranking scores every FAA-approved school in the state, with top picks and pay.