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Leading the list is Coastline Community College, our #1 most age-diverse college in California. It scores 93.4 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 75.1, and gender diversity 99.4.
by our College Data Analytics TeamIf you’re seeking a diverse and multi-faceted college experience, you’ve come to the right place. This list highlights 239 schools ranked on age diversity in California, using our 2026 methodology.
Our ranking weighs the range of student ages (the mix of traditional and non-traditional-age students). To help you decide, College Factual reviewed 239 colleges, drawing primarily on U.S. Department of Education data (IPEDS and College Scorecard). Learn more about our ranking methodology.
Not every student measures diversity the same way. Narrow your list by location, or explore the overall, racial-ethnic, gender, economic, and age diversity rankings, or other rankings below.
Looking to pit your favorite colleges against each other? Check out College Combat to build custom comparisons using the factors most important to you.
Learn more about these age-diverse colleges below:
Leading the list is Coastline Community College, our #1 most age-diverse college in California. It scores 93.4 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 75.1, and gender diversity 99.4.
You'll find a welcoming community at Laney College, which ranked #2 this year. The school's age diversity score is 92.7 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 77.7, with a gender-diversity score of 99.5.
Merritt College came in at #3 on this year's Most Age-Diverse Colleges ranking in California. It scores 92.6 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 76.3, with a gender-diversity score of 95.2.
East Los Angeles College earned the #4 place in California. The school's age diversity score is 92.2 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 57.3, alongside a 99.9 gender-diversity score.
A rank of #5 makes City College of San Francisco one of the most age-diverse colleges in California. The school's age diversity score is 92.1 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 75.3, and gender diversity 99.6.
College of Marin earned the #6 position in California. On age diversity, it scores 91.9 out of 100. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 60.4, and gender diversity 98.7.
Santa Ana College landed the #7 spot in California this year. It scores 91.5 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 62.9, with a gender-diversity score of 98.4.
West Los Angeles College earned the #8 position in California. The school's age diversity score is 91.5 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 66.8, alongside a 97.6 gender-diversity score.
Lassen Community College placed #9 among the most age-diverse colleges in California. It scores 91.3 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 68.5, alongside a 92.3 gender-diversity score.
Lake Tahoe Community College placed #10 among the most age-diverse colleges in California. On age diversity, it scores 91.3 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 68.2, alongside a 97.6 gender-diversity score.
Los Angeles City College ranked #11 on our 2026 list of the most age-diverse colleges. On age diversity, it scores 91.2 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 64.4, alongside a 98.3 gender-diversity score.
Taft College placed #12 among the most age-diverse colleges in California. On age diversity, it scores 90.9 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 48.6, and gender diversity 97.8.
Canada College placed #13 among the most age-diverse colleges in California. Canada College scores 90.6 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 70.6, with a gender-diversity score of 97.7.
Los Angeles Valley College ranked #14 on our 2026 list of the most age-diverse colleges. It scores 90.6 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 58.8, and gender diversity 98.8.
Barstow Community College landed the #15 spot in California this year. It scores 90.5 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 68.2, with a gender-diversity score of 95.0.
Glendale Community College earned the #16 position in California. Glendale Community College scores 90.5 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 56.7, and gender diversity 99.7.
Mission College came in at #17 in this year's ranking. Mission College scores 90.4 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 69.1, alongside a 99.7 gender-diversity score.
College of Alameda placed #18 among the most age-diverse colleges in California. College of Alameda scores 90.3 out of 100 for age diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 77.7, with a gender-diversity score of 98.1.
College of the Redwoods came in at #19 in this year's ranking. College of the Redwoods scores 90.1 out of 100 for age diversity. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 67.5, with a gender-diversity score of 99.9.
Cuyamaca College landed the #20 spot in California this year. It scores 90.0 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 61.3, and gender diversity 99.1.
Monterey Peninsula College came in at #21 in this year's ranking. On age diversity, it scores 89.8 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 63.0, and gender diversity 99.8.
American River College placed #22 among the most age-diverse colleges in California. On age diversity, it scores 89.7 out of 100. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 73.0, with a gender-diversity score of 99.9.
Rio Hondo College earned the #23 position in California. Rio Hondo College scores 89.6 out of 100 for age diversity. On racial-ethnic diversity it scores 50.1, with a gender-diversity score of 98.0.
Mendocino College came in at #24 in this year's ranking. On age diversity, it scores 89.6 out of 100. Its racial-ethnic diversity score is 65.4, alongside a 94.7 gender-diversity score.
San Jose City College earned the #25 position in California. It scores 89.4 out of 100 for age diversity. Racial-ethnic diversity scores 65.7, with a gender-diversity score of 99.1.
These colleges also placed near the top this year:
*These averages are for the top 25 ranked colleges only.
We measure this ranking on the range of student ages (the mix of traditional and non-traditional-age students). The racial-ethnic minorities percentage is calculated by taking the total number of students, subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity is unknown, and dividing by total enrollment.
The ranking above is published by College Factual, 2026 edition.
References
See our data sources and methodologies.