Houston, TX
Cosmetology Schools in Houston, TX, Ranked (2026)
Downtown Houston skyline. Photo by David Daniel Turner, licensed under CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Published
Edited by Zoe MacDougall, BS in Psychology
Beauty schools in Houston answer to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, because Texas has no cosmetology board. TDLR absorbed barbering and cosmetology into one agency, and its school file records a license type and an expiration date, so a school's standing is read off that date rather than a status word. Cosmetology schools in Houston all sit in that one file.
85 licensed schools carry a Houston mailing address, 65 private schools and 20 vocational or high school licenses, and 22 more records in the city have expired. Federal completion data exists for only 15 schools in and near Houston, five more were too small to rank, and 80 of the 85 licensed schools aren't in it.
Figures in this section: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation; BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
The 15 Cosmetology Schools in and Near Houston, Ranked on Completion
20 cosmetology programs report to the US Department of Education from inside Houston or within 30 miles of downtown. 15 of them had at least 40 students and a published completion figure, and they are ordered on the share of students who finish within half again the program's normal length. The other 5 had too few students to rank, so the list stops at 15.
Where a school's board record was matched, the card carries it. A school that appears here without one is not unlicensed; it means the board's file and the federal file did not agree on its name, and the Texas page links the board's own lookup.
| # | School | Miles | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pearlands Innovative School of Beauty | 14 | 100% |
| 2 | Mystros Barber Academy | 18 | 100% |
| 3 | Houston Barber School | 14 | 93% |
| 4 | Paul Mitchell the School-Clear Lake | 22 | 86% |
| 5 | Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Stafford | 16 | 81% |
| 6 | Paul Mitchell the School-Houston | 12 | 81% |
| 7 | Houston Training Schools-Gessner | 11 | 78% |
| 8 | Houston Training School-Main Campus | 8 | 75% |
| 9 | Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Willowbrook | 18 | 70% |
| 10 | Northwest Educational Center | 7 | 70% |
| 11 | Remington College-Houston Southeast Campus | 23 | 60% |
| 12 | Trend Barber College | 16 | 56% |
| 13 | Lee College | 24 | 53% |
| 14 | Jay's Technical Institute | 12 | 38% |
| 15 | Career Schools of Texas | 11 | 26% |
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#1
Pearlands Innovative School of Beauty
Pearland, TX · Cosmetology Private School
100%
Share of students who finish
- Cosmetology
- Renews 2026-11
- $15,000 program cost
What the record shows
Pearlands Innovative School of Beauty operates in Manvel under license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. 100 percent of its students finish, out of 69 enrolled in the fall count. The published cost is $15,000 for the full program. $15,000 is within 10 percent of the $13,650 median, and the completion is not ordinary: 100 percent against 75. That is the better half of the trade. It awarded 40 beauty credentials in the reporting year. The board files it under license 705254; that record, not this one, is what makes your hours count.
Where it leads
For cosmetologists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, the range runs $23,600 to $60,150 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $31,080. The upside is capped near 1.9 times the median and the floor is 24 percent under it, a market where the first year is tight rather than dangerous and the ceiling is earned slowly. On concentration, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands is unremarkable, tracking the national rate closely.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read 2026-08-28.
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#2
Mystros Barber Academy
Houston, TX · Cosmetology Private School
100%
Share of students who finish
- Cosmetology
- Renews 2026-09
- $15,000 program cost
What the record shows
Mystros Barber Academy trains in Missouri City, licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. This is a specialist: a barber license, not cosmetology. The work is men's cutting, shaving and beard work, the course is a similar hour count to cosmetology, and it does not license color, chemical services or the full cosmetology scope, so compare it with the other specialists here rather than with the full-service schools. It is the only licensed school the board lists in Missouri City. 100 percent of students see the course through, out of 50 enrolled. Tuition is reported at $15,000 for the full program. Completion is the one figure that compares across trades, and 100 percent, 25 points over the 75 percent median, is a good sign. $15,000 is within 10 percent of the $13,650 median for a similar hour count, which is the going rate. 16 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. That is a small cohort, which usually buys more chair time with an instructor and a shorter wait for the clinic floor. The school is a private nonprofit, a category covering only a handful of cosmetology providers nationally. License 705832 is the board's entry for it, and that is the record to confirm is still current before a deposit.
Where it leads
For barbers around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, the range runs $29,400 to $79,010 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $30,690. Entry pay and typical pay nearly meet, and everything past the median is a following: the upside is real and it is all earned above the middle. Few places employ this trade as heavily: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs at about 2.0 times the national rate, some 630 people.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read 2026-08-28.
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#3
Houston Barber School
Houston, TX · Cosmetology Private School
93%
Share of students who finish
- Cosmetology
- Renews 2026-11
- $14,000 program cost
What the record shows
Houston Barber School is licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and trains in Houston. It trains toward a barber license only, which is a similar hour count to cosmetology, leads to men's cutting, shaving and beard work, and does not license color, chemical services or the full cosmetology scope. That makes it a different decision from the full cosmetology schools on this page rather than a smaller version of one. With 85 licensed schools in Houston, this one is competing for students rather than the only option. The school graduates 93 percent, on a fall headcount of 264. Tuition is reported at $14,000 for the full program. Completion is the one figure that compares across trades, and 93 percent, 18 points over the 75 percent median, is a good sign. $14,000 is within 3 percent of the $13,650 median for a similar hour count, which is the going rate. It awarded 111 beauty credentials in the reporting year. License 705803 is the board's entry for it, and that is the record to confirm is still current before a deposit.
Where it leads
Pay for barbers around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs from $29,400 at the tenth percentile to $79,010 at the ninetieth, with a median of $30,690. The floor is almost the median here, so the whole spread is above it, and it belongs to people with a book. Few places employ this trade as heavily: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs at about 2.0 times the national rate, some 630 people.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read 2026-08-28.
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#4
Paul Mitchell the School-Clear Lake
Webster, TX · Cosmetology Private School
86%
Share of students who finish
- Cosmetology
- Renews 2027-01
- $13,100 program cost
What the record shows
Paul Mitchell the School-Clear Lake is licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation and trains in Webster. The board lists no other licensed school in Webster. 86 percent of its students finish, out of 133 enrolled in the fall count. The published cost is $13,100 for the full program. Paul Mitchell campuses share a debt figure in the federal file, $13,250 in federal loans at the median over 436 borrowers, so read it as the chain's number rather than this floor's. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $140 a month. $13,100 is within 5 percent of the $13,650 median, and the completion is not ordinary: 86 percent against 75. That is the better half of the trade. It awarded 99 beauty credentials in the reporting year. The board files it under license 705281; that record, not this one, is what makes your hours count.
Where it leads
Pay for cosmetologists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs from $23,600 at the tenth percentile to $60,150 at the ninetieth, with a median of $31,080. An ordinary shape: the top tenth at 1.9 times the median and a floor 24 percent below it, so a good first year and a good tenth year here are separated by a client book rather than by a cliff. On concentration, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands is unremarkable, tracking the national rate closely.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read 2026-08-28.
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#5
Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Stafford
Stafford, TX
81%
Share of students who finish
- 81% finish
- 352 graduates a year
- $15,700 program cost
What the record shows
Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Stafford runs its nail technology program in Stafford and reports to the US Department of Education. The license here is a nail technician license, which means manicure, pedicure and nail enhancement. It takes the shortest course in the field and is a narrower ticket, and for someone who already knows they want that end of the trade, the narrowness is the point. 81 percent of students see the course through, out of 550 enrolled. It charges $15,700 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. Borrowing is pooled across Ogle School Hair Skin Nails campuses in the federal file, 730 borrowers at a median of $7,917 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $84 a month. Completion is the one figure that compares across trades, and 81 percent, 6 points over the 75 percent median, is a good sign. $15,700 is more than the full cosmetology courses on this page charge, for a shorter course, which needs a reason. It awarded 352 beauty credentials in the reporting year. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation holds the record that counts your hours; find this school on it by its legal name and check it is current before a deposit.
Where it leads
For manicurists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, the range runs $18,330 to $46,300 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $35,080. The bottom of this market sits well below its middle, so the first year is likely to be lean and worth planning for. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands employs the trade at only about 0.5 times the national rate, so graduates enter a thinner local market than average.
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#6
Paul Mitchell the School-Houston
Houston, TX · Cosmetology Private School
81%
Share of students who finish
- Cosmetology
- Renews 2026-10
- $13,650 program cost
What the record shows
Based in Houston, Paul Mitchell the School-Houston is on the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation register. Houston has 85 licensed schools, so there is a real choice locally. Of the 288 students in its fall count, 81 percent complete the course they started. The published cost is $13,650 for the full program. Paul Mitchell campuses share a debt figure in the federal file, $13,250 in federal loans at the median over 436 borrowers, so read it as the chain's number rather than this floor's. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $140 a month. $13,650 is exactly at the $13,650 median, and the completion is not ordinary: 81 percent against 75. That is the better half of the trade. It awarded 201 beauty credentials in the reporting year. License 705027 is the board's entry for it, and that is the record to confirm is still current before a deposit.
Where it leads
Pay for cosmetologists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs from $23,600 at the tenth percentile to $60,150 at the ninetieth, with a median of $31,080. The ninetieth percentile at $60,150 is 1.9 times the median, so the upside is real but bounded, and the floor sits 24 percent under the median, so the first year is lean but not the cliff it is in some states. On concentration, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands is unremarkable, tracking the national rate closely.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read 2026-08-28.
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#7
Houston Training Schools-Gessner
Houston, TX · Cosmetology Private School
78%
Share of students who finish
- Cosmetology
- Renews 2026-12
- $11,350 program cost
What the record shows
Houston Training Schools-Gessner trains in LA Porte, licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. 78 percent of students see the course through, out of 138 enrolled. The published cost is $11,350 for the full program. $11,350 is 17 percent under the $13,650 median, and completion is within 3 points of the 75 percent median, which is the cheap-without-a-catch pairing. It awarded 65 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Its board record is license 705135, and that entry is the one that counts your hours.
Where it leads
Pay for cosmetologists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs from $23,600 at the tenth percentile to $60,150 at the ninetieth, with a median of $31,080. Neither end of this market is extreme: the top tenth earns about 1.9 times the median and the floor sits 24 percent under it, which makes the first year a budget question rather than a survival one. The occupation is about as common around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands as it is nationally.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read 2026-08-28.
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#8
Houston Training School-Main Campus
Houston, TX · Cosmetology Private School
75%
Share of students who finish
- Cosmetology
- Renews 2026-11
- $11,350 program cost
What the record shows
Houston Training School-Main Campus trains in LA Porte, licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. 75 percent of its students finish, out of 198 enrolled in the fall count. It charges $11,350 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. It charges 17 percent less than the $13,650 median and finishes about as many of its students as the typical school here, so the saving is real rather than a discount for worse odds. 45 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. From 198 enrolled that is slow throughput for a clock-hour course, and it belongs beside the completion figure above. Its board record is license 702805, and that entry is the one that counts your hours.
Where it leads
For cosmetologists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, the range runs $23,600 to $60,150 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $31,080. An ordinary shape: the top tenth at 1.9 times the median and a floor 24 percent below it, so a good first year and a good tenth year here are separated by a client book rather than by a cliff. The occupation is about as common around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands as it is nationally.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read 2026-08-28.
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#9
Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Willowbrook
Houston, TX
70%
Share of students who finish
- 70% finish
- 228 graduates a year
- $15,700 program cost
What the record shows
Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Willowbrook teaches nail technology in Houston, with its results published federally. This is a specialist: a nail technician license, not cosmetology. The work is manicure, pedicure and nail enhancement, the course is the shortest course in the field, and it does not license you to work on hair, or on skin beyond the hands and feet, so compare it with the other specialists here rather than with the full-service schools. 70 percent of students see the course through, out of 481 enrolled. It charges $15,700 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. The federal file reports borrowing for Ogle School Hair Skin Nails campuses together rather than for this one: a median of $7,917 in federal loans across 730 borrowers. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $84 a month. Completion is the one figure that compares across trades, and 70 percent, 5 points under the 75 percent median, is about what this page does. $15,700 is more than the full cosmetology courses on this page charge, for a shorter course, which needs a reason. 228 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. Look this school up on the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation register by its legal name before you pay, because that entry and not this one is what makes your hours count.
Where it leads
Around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, the median manicurist earns $35,080, the bottom tenth $18,330 and the top tenth $46,300. The bottom of this market sits well below its middle, so the first year is likely to be lean and worth planning for. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands employs the trade at only about 0.5 times the national rate, so graduates enter a thinner local market than average.
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#10
Northwest Educational Center
Houston, TX
70%
Share of students who finish
- 96 graduates a year
- $10,700 program cost
What the record shows
Northwest Educational Center runs its cosmetology program in Houston and reports to the US Department of Education. Of 305 enrolled in the fall count, 70 percent finish. Tuition is reported at $10,700 for the full program. Cheap, but 5 points fewer of its students finish than the 75 percent median, and in a clock-hour trade an unfinished course is the expensive outcome: you have paid for hours that never become a license. 96 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. Its hours count only under a current entry with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, so search that register by the school's legal name before any deposit.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands earn under $31,080, with the tenth percentile at $23,600 and the ninetieth at $60,150. The ninetieth percentile at $60,150 is 1.9 times the median, so the upside is real but bounded, and the floor sits 24 percent under the median, so the first year is lean but not the cliff it is in some states. Local concentration around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands sits near the national average.
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#11
Remington College-Houston Southeast Campus
League City, TX
60%
Share of students who finish
- Private nonprofit
- 5 graduates a year
What the record shows
Remington College-Houston Southeast Campus runs its cosmetology program in League City and reports to the US Department of Education. 60 percent of students across the college finish, out of 111 enrolled, and cosmetology is one of the programs inside that figure. Most of the students behind that 60 percent are in other programs, so ask the cosmetology department for its own figure rather than reading this one as the program's. 5 credentials in a year means the cosmetology program barely ran; ask whether it is enrolling this term before anything else. The school is a private nonprofit, a category covering only a handful of cosmetology providers nationally. Licensing is the business of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation rather than the federal file's, so its register is where to confirm this school by its legal name first.
Where it leads
Pay for cosmetologists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs from $23,600 at the tenth percentile to $60,150 at the ninetieth, with a median of $31,080. Neither end of this market is extreme: the top tenth earns about 1.9 times the median and the floor sits 24 percent under it, which makes the first year a budget question rather than a survival one. On concentration, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands is unremarkable, tracking the national rate closely.
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#12
Trend Barber College
Houston, TX · Cosmetology Private School
56%
Share of students who finish
- Cosmetology
- Renews 2027-01
- $13,600 program cost
What the record shows
Trend Barber College trains in Houston, licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. The license here is a barber license, which means men's cutting, shaving and beard work. It takes a similar hour count to cosmetology and is a narrower ticket, and for someone who already knows they want that end of the trade, the narrowness is the point. Houston has 85 licensed schools, so there is a real choice locally. 56 percent of its students finish, out of 61 enrolled in the fall count. Tuition is reported at $13,600 for the full program. Trend Barber campuses share a debt figure in the federal file, $12,500 in federal loans at the median over 89 borrowers, so read it as the chain's number rather than this floor's. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $133 a month. Completion is the one figure that compares across trades, and 56 percent, 19 points under the 75 percent median, is the first thing to ask about. $13,600 is within 1 percent of the $13,650 median for a similar hour count, which is the going rate. 43 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. Its board record is license 705750, and that entry is the one that counts your hours.
Where it leads
Half of barbers around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands earn under $30,690, with the tenth percentile at $29,400 and the ninetieth at $79,010. The floor is almost the median here, so the whole spread is above it, and it belongs to people with a book. The trade is unusually concentrated around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, about 2.0 times the national rate, so there are more chairs to compete for and more to be hired into.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read 2026-08-28.
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#13
Lee College
Baytown, TX
53%
Share of students who finish
- Public institution
- 79 graduates a year
What the record shows
Lee College teaches cosmetology in Baytown, with its results published federally. 53 percent of students across the college finish, out of 5,116 enrolled, and cosmetology is one of the programs inside that figure. Most of the students behind that 53 percent are in other programs, so ask the cosmetology department for its own figure rather than reading this one as the program's. Its 79 completions a year make cosmetology a small program inside a college of 5,116. It is a public college, so the cosmetology course is priced at in-district tuition rather than at an academy price. Its hours count only under a current entry with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, so search that register by the school's legal name before any deposit.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands earn under $31,080, with the tenth percentile at $23,600 and the ninetieth at $60,150. The upside is capped near 1.9 times the median and the floor is 24 percent under it, a market where the first year is tight rather than dangerous and the ceiling is earned slowly. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands employs the trade at close to the national rate, around 5,480 people.
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#14
Jay's Technical Institute
Houston, TX · Cosmetology Private School
38%
Share of students who finish
- Cosmetology
- Renews 2026-09
- $13,500 program cost
What the record shows
Jay's Technical Institute operates in Houston under license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. With 85 licensed schools in Houston, this one is competing for students rather than the only option. 38 percent of students see the course through, out of 79 enrolled. Tuition is reported at $13,500 for the full program. Only 38 in a hundred finish here, 37 points under the 75 percent median. Treat that as the headline, not a footnote, and hold the $13,500 price against it. 13 students completed a credential here in the reporting year. From 79 enrolled that is slow throughput for a clock-hour course, and it belongs beside the completion figure above. Its board record is license 702707, and that entry is the one that counts your hours.
Where it leads
For cosmetologists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, the range runs $23,600 to $60,150 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles, with a median of $31,080. Neither end of this market is extreme: the top tenth earns about 1.9 times the median and the floor sits 24 percent under it, which makes the first year a budget question rather than a survival one. On concentration, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands is unremarkable, tracking the national rate closely.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read 2026-08-28.
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#15
Career Schools of Texas
Houston, TX · Cosmetology Private School
26%
Share of students who finish
- Cosmetology
- Renews 2027-02
- $14,720 program cost
What the record shows
Career Schools of Texas operates in Houston under license from the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. With 85 licensed schools in Houston, this one is competing for students rather than the only option. 26 percent of its students finish, out of 518 enrolled in the fall count. It charges $14,720 for the full program, which for a clock-hour course is the whole price rather than a yearly one. 299 graduates borrowed, at a median of $15,319 in federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $162 a month. That median loan is larger than the $14,720 price, so the typical borrower here finances more than tuition. Only 26 in a hundred finish here, 49 points under the 75 percent median. Treat that as the headline, not a footnote, and hold the $14,720 price against it. It awarded 175 beauty credentials in the reporting year. Its board record is license 705689, and that entry is the one that counts your hours.
Where it leads
Half of cosmetologists around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands earn under $31,080, with the tenth percentile at $23,600 and the ninetieth at $60,150. Neither end of this market is extreme: the top tenth earns about 1.9 times the median and the floor sits 24 percent under it, which makes the first year a budget question rather than a survival one. Local concentration around Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands sits near the national average.
Sources: US Department of Education, College Scorecard; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, read 2026-08-28.
Other Licensed Cosmetology Schools in Houston
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation lists 85 currently licensed schools in Houston. These 80 appear above, either because the school takes no federal aid and so reports no completion figure, or because its cohort was too small to rank. Being on this list means the board licenses the school, which is the thing that makes your hours count. The board's file also holds 22 Houston records that are no longer active, which is why the roster is longer than this table.
| School | License |
|---|---|
| 249 Beauty College | Cosmetology Private School |
| A Touch of Class Manicure School LLC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Abrils Cosmetology & Barber School | Cosmetology Private School |
| Acres Home Barber College | Cosmetology Private School |
| Advanced Skin Care Academy LLC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Aldine High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Alief Taylor High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Art of Barber Academy | Cosmetology Private School |
| B1 Careers | Cosmetology Private School |
| Barbara Jordan High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Bellere Institute, INC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Bessemer Beauty College | Cosmetology Private School |
| Bl Cosmetology School | Cosmetology Private School |
| Bn Career Institute | Cosmetology Private School |
| Career & Technical High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Clio Professionals Beauty School | Cosmetology Private School |
| Colour Beauty School | Cosmetology Private School |
| Compassion Beauty School LLC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Couture Beauty Academy | Cosmetology Private School |
| Cy-Fair High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Cypress Creek High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Cypress Ridge High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Cypress-Springs High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| D'luz Beauty Academy INC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Davis High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Dermology College of Aesthetics & Wellne | Cosmetology Private School |
| Divine Beauty Bar & Hair Loss Institute | Cosmetology Private School |
| Ecl Beauty School LLC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Eisenhower High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Elite Beauty Academy | Cosmetology Private School |
| Enstyle Beauty Academy | Cosmetology Private School |
| Epic Barber College | Cosmetology Private School |
| Gnu Beauty Institute | Cosmetology Private School |
| Houston Barber School | Cosmetology Private School |
| Houston Barber School | Cosmetology Private School |
| Houston Barber School | Cosmetology Private School |
| Houston Brows & Beauty School LLC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Houston Gateway Academy INC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Houston Math Science Technology Center | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Icon School of Barbering LLC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Illumination Barber School LLC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Image Academy | Cosmetology Private School |
| Institute of Cosmetology | Cosmetology Private School |
| Jackson Barber College | Cosmetology Private School |
| James Madison High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Jays Technical Institute INC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Jersey Village High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Klein Cain High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Klein Forest High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Langham Creek High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Mesa Barber School | Cosmetology Private School |
| Milby High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Modern Barber College | Cosmetology Private School |
| Monarca Beauty and Barber School LLC | Cosmetology Private School |
| Nimitz High School | Cosmetology Vocational/High School |
| Pearland Barber College | Cosmetology Private School |
| Pearland Barber College | Cosmetology Private School |
| Phoenix Institute of Cosmetology | Cosmetology Private School |
| Premier Barber School | Cosmetology Private School |
| Premier Barber School LLC | Cosmetology Private School |
20 more are in the board's file, which is also where to confirm any school's license is current today.
What Texas Requires for a Cosmetology License in Houston
The figure is 1,000 hours for a cosmetology license, and Texas lets up to half of them be earned online. That's 500 hours of coursework you can do from home and 500 you have to earn in a licensed school. Ceilings like that differ everywhere, and we keep a list of what each state allows online.
One quirk of the Texas file is worth knowing before you use any list of Houston schools, ours included. The address TDLR holds is a mailing address, sometimes a PO box in a different town from the campus, so grouping schools by city in Texas is approximate. Check the street address with the school before you plan a commute around it.
Nothing the state publishes puts one Houston school above another. The file holds a license type and an expiration date, and that's it. So this page orders schools on the one comparable number that exists, the share of students who finish, and our methodology sets out what that number covers.
Figures in this section: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation; BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
What the Houston Ranked List Shows
Pearlands Innovative School of Beauty leads at 100% completion, on 69 students, 14 miles out in Pearland at $15,000 for the program. A perfect figure on a cohort that size describes a small class that finished, which is a real achievement and a smaller sample than the number looks.
Two of the three strongest figures here belong to barber schools. Mystros Barber Academy, a private nonprofit 18 miles out, finished 100% of 50 students, and Houston Barber School finished 93% of 264 students at $14,000. Holding 93% across a class that big is harder than a perfect score on 50, and barbering is a separate credential in Texas.
Tuition across the 15 ranked schools sits in a tight band, $10,700 to $15,700 for the whole program, so price is doing less work in this city than completion is. Ten of the 15 have a Houston address, and the rest are within 24 miles, in Pearland, Stafford and Webster.
Figures in this section: BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
What Houston Salons and Barbershops Pay
The metro employs 5,480 hairdressers, hairstylists and cosmetologists at a $31,080 median, $400 above the $30,680 Texas median. The bottom tenth earns $23,600 and the top tenth $60,150, and that spread is the honest version of the six-figure stylist claim.
Barbering is the local strength. The metro employs 630 barbers, a concentration nearly twice the national average, at a $30,690 median and $79,010 at the 90th percentile. That top figure sits above the stylist ceiling here, though it comes from a much smaller workforce, so a good chair matters more than the average does.
Skincare specialists earn the highest middle wage of the four trades in this metro, $48,250 on 1,660 employed. Every figure here comes from employer payrolls, and a chair renter's income never appears in one. The cosmetologist salary page and the Texas ranking put the metro next to the rest of the state.
Figures in this section: BLS OEWS, May 2025; College Scorecard, June 2026.
What Cosmetology Careers Pay in Houston
Median annual pay in the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. A cosmetologist here earns a median of $31,080 against $30,680 across Texas, with 5,480 employed in the metro. Booth renters and salon owners are self-employed and outside the survey, so these figures describe stylists on a payroll.
- Estheticians $48,250 $48,250
- Nail technicians $35,080 $35,080
- Cosmetologists $31,080 $31,080
- Barbers $30,690 $30,690
| Occupation | Metro median | Texas median |
|---|---|---|
| Estheticians | $48,250 | $49,250 |
| Nail technicians | $35,080 | $34,040 |
| Cosmetologists | $31,080 | $30,680 |
| Barbers | $30,690 | $30,760 |
Each occupation has its own salary page with the range and every state, and a career page on the work and the license it needs.
Cosmetology Schools in Nearby Cities
Common Questions About Cosmetology School in Houston
Answers draw on Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the College Scorecard and the May 2025 BLS wage release.
How many hours does a cosmetology license take in Houston?
How many licensed cosmetology schools are there in Houston?
Which Houston beauty school has the highest completion rate?
What do stylists and barbers earn in the Houston metro?
Are all the ranked schools inside Houston?
Sources
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, school license records, read 2026-08-28. Hour requirement for a cosmetologist license: 1,000 clock hours, cited to the rule.
- US Department of Education, College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Completion, enrollment, cost and location for every cosmetology program (CIP 12.04) within 30 miles of downtown Houston. Each card links its institution's Scorecard page.
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Metro-area wages and employment for the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX area.