Home › Texas › Dental Assisting schools
49 schools in Texas offer dental assisting-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 17 registered apprenticeship sponsors in Texas train dental assisting apprentices — see apprenticeships.
Texas does not license entry-level chairside dental assistants, but you must register with the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners and hold a Dental Assistant Radiology Certificate before positioning or exposing x-rays — a standard duty in nearly every dental assisting job. Registration requires a high school diploma or GED, a hands-on CPR/BLS course, a fingerprint background check, a human trafficking prevention course, and passing a board-approved radiology course and exam (or holding DANB CDA certification plus the TSBDE jurisprudence assessment). No dental assisting school is required — most Texas assistants qualify on the job plus the short board-approved course.
Official source: Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (TSBDE) · Exam: Exam administered by the TSBDE-approved course provider covering radiology, infection control, and Texas jurisprudence; alternative route via DANB CDA + TSBDE Jurisprudence Assessment · Typical requirement: High school diploma or GED; hands-on BLS/CPR course (online not accepted); fingerprint criminal background check; HHS-approved human trafficking prevention course; then either a TSBDE-approved radiology course + exam, or current DANB CDA certification + TSBDE Jurisprudence Assessment. No dental-assisting school required.
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar State College-Orange | Orange | public | $1,655 | 34.2% | $36,587 |
| Southwest College for the Deaf | Big Spring | public | $2,458 | 38.1% | $38,382 |
| Dallas College | Dallas | public | $3,214 | 22.8% | $41,714 |
| Del Mar College | Corpus Christi | public | $3,399 | 23.7% | $38,656 |
| El Paso Community College | El Paso | public | $3,206 | 24.1% | $35,212 |
| Tarrant County College District | Fort Worth | public | $4,337 | 24.5% | $42,727 |
| Wharton County Junior College | Wharton | public | $4,666 | 24.6% | $44,960 |
| Amarillo College | Amarillo | public | $4,600 | 35.8% | $41,302 |
| San Antonio College | San Antonio | public | $4,585 | 19.1% | $39,711 |
| Coastal Bend College | Beeville | public | $4,237 | 28.8% | $35,086 |
| Grayson College | Denison | public | $5,880 | 32.1% | $40,873 |
| Houston City College | Houston | public | $5,737 | 20.5% | $39,254 |
| Austin Community College District | Austin | public | $6,390 | 16.1% | $43,177 |
| Vernon College | Vernon | public | $6,404 | 28.9% | $40,464 |
| Jacksonville College-Main Campus | Jacksonville | private nonprofit | $6,157 | 34.1% | $38,885 |
| Howard College | Big Spring | public | $6,147 | 32.3% | $38,382 |
| Collin County Community College District | McKinney | public | $8,969 | 20.3% | $48,701 |
| Blinn College District | Brenham | public | $10,844 | 16.2% | $46,318 |
| Lone Star College System | The Woodlands | public | $11,252 | 20.2% | $42,466 |
| Tyler Junior College | Tyler | public | $10,206 | 26.2% | $38,140 |
| Temple College | Temple | public | $10,682 | 20.2% | $38,678 |
| Texas State Technical College | Waco | public | $13,508 | 40.4% | $38,916 |
| Lamar Institute of Technology | Beaumont | public | $13,866 | 37.2% | $38,991 |
| Navarro College | Corsicana | public | $14,820 | 26.5% | $38,716 |
| South Texas Vocational Technical Institute-Brownsville | Brownsville | private for-profit | $16,277 | 79% | $31,102 |
| Fortis Institute | Houston | private for-profit | $18,332 | 63.9% | $33,193 |
| Pima Medical Institute-Houston | Houston | private for-profit | $21,396 | 74.8% | $38,673 |
| Pima Medical Institute-San Antonio | San Antonio | private for-profit | $21,882 | 59.3% | $38,673 |
| South Texas Vocational Technical Institute-Weslaco | Weslaco | private for-profit | $17,925 | 79.2% | $31,102 |
| Concorde Career College-Dallas | Dallas | private for-profit | $25,299 | 76.8% | $42,456 |
| PCI Health Training Center | Dallas | private for-profit | $20,368 | 92.4% | $34,096 |
| Pima Medical Institute-El Paso | El Paso | private for-profit | $23,412 | 81.8% | $38,673 |
| Miller-Motte College-STVT-McAllen | McAllen | private for-profit | $20,008 | 80.5% | $31,102 |
| Miller-Motte College-STVT-Corpus Christi | Corpus Christi | private for-profit | $20,477 | 70.9% | $31,102 |
| Remington College-Houston Southeast Campus | League City | private nonprofit | $20,927 | 59.6% | $31,349 |
| The College of Health Care Professions-Dallas | Dallas | private for-profit | $27,411 | 75.8% | $38,922 |
| The College of Health Care Professions-Austin | Austin | private for-profit | $27,575 | 81.1% | $38,922 |
| Concorde Career College-San Antonio | San Antonio | private for-profit | $26,599 | 78.7% | $35,242 |
| Concorde Career College-Grand Prairie | Grand Prairie | private for-profit | $31,288 | 74.9% | $40,648 |
| The College of Health Care Professions-McAllen Campus | McAllen | private for-profit | $25,829 | 85.6% | $33,070 |
| Remington College-Fort Worth Campus | North Richland Hills | private nonprofit | $25,913 | 51.2% | $31,349 |
| The College of Health Care Professions-Fort Worth | Fort Worth | private for-profit | $27,606 | 83.4% | $33,070 |
| The College of Health Care Professions-Northwest | Houston | private for-profit | $27,830 | 73.3% | $33,070 |
| The College of Health Care Professions-Southwest Houston | Houston | private for-profit | $28,471 | 77.4% | $33,070 |
| The College of Health Care Professions-South San Antonio | San Antonio | private for-profit | $28,829 | 73.3% | $33,070 |
| College of Health Care Professions | Houston | private for-profit | $29,837 | 97.3% | $33,070 |
| Remington College-Dallas Campus | Dallas | private nonprofit | $29,805 | 56.1% | $31,349 |
| Milan Institute-Amarillo | Amarillo | private for-profit | $28,468 | 60.5% | $29,491 |
| Milan Institute-San Antonio Ingram | San Antonio | private for-profit | $27,022 | 60.5% | $24,879 |
Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.
Federal and state aid programs have windows and deadlines. Get them for your trade and state, plus program matches.
We may share your info with matched school and program partners so they can contact you about enrollment. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy & editorial policy.