Beauty Schools with the Best Graduation Rates in Boston, MA Metro Area

WRITTEN BY Jessica Buxbaum | EDITED BY Ana Economides | UPDATED ON 05/30/2024

Graduation rates can indicate the quality of an education—more graduates can mean more students prepared for their licensure exams! Looking for a beauty school with the best graduation rates in Boston? The following are the top five schools with the best graduation rates in the area.

Beauty Schools with the Best Graduation Rates in Boston, MA Metro Badge

Boston, MA Beauty Schools with the Best Graduation Rates

#1: Catherine Hinds Institute of Esthetics — Woburn

96% grad rate

The Catherine Hinds Institute opened in 1977 and has been recognized by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges since 1979. About 10,000 estheticians have graduated from the program since the school opened. The Institute has also boasted a higher-than-average graduation rate of 96% since the 2018-2019 school year.

One former student kept their review short and sweet: "Great opportunity to learn skills and have a career to change your life path."

#2: Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy — Worcester

79% grad rate

Over the last six decades, Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy has offered aspiring beauty professionals a well-rounded hairdressing education. The 1,000-hour cosmetology program prepares you for the state licensing exams and a successful salon career. The school is designed to operate like a real salon so you feel confident entering the beauty industry after graduation.

One former student wrote on Yelp, "The school gave me an excellent fundamental knowledge that extended beyond just hairdressing. The teachers are all knowledgeable, the admissions team works their butts off and gives you unlimited support after you've left, and the brand gives you a family for life."

#3: Jupiter Beauty Academy — Boston

78% grad rate

Jupiter Beauty Academy strives to help every student pass the state board exams and become licensed and employed as a beauty professional. The beauty school offers a 1,000-hour cosmetology program, 600-hour esthetics program, 100-hour nail technology program, and 650-hour massage therapy program.

"Ms. Christine and Ms. Kim were very knowledgeable and always willing to help you and teach you what is needed. They helped me prepare for the state board exam, which helped me pass and now already working in the industry," a former student wrote in a Google review.

#4: Spa Tech Institute — Plymouth

77% grad rate

Spa Tech Institute boasts an excellent curriculum with complete, well-rounded programs. They strive to ensure their facilities and staff are superior within the industry.

Several Google reviews highlight the impact of the school's career fair on introducing their students to the beauty business and opening up opportunities.

"[I] have employed graduates of Spa Tech and currently do to this day. I have found them to be very well trained, and they hit the ground running on their first day of employment," a local business owner wrote in a Google review.

#5: Spa Tech Institute — Westborough

76% grad rate

Spa Tech Institute sets high standards for its educators and programs to churn out top-level graduates. The Westborough campus offers programs in massage, esthetics, and polarity therapy.

"I've had a fantastic experience at Spa Tech. The teachers are dedicated and knowledgeable, creating a supportive and challenging environment for students. The community is welcoming, and there's a real sense of school spirit…Highly recommend for anyone seeking a well-rounded education!" a former student wrote in a Google review.

#5: New England Hair Academy — Malden

76% grad rate

#7: Electrology Institute of NE — Tewksbury

75% grad rate

#8: Rob Roy Academy — Worcester

73% grad rate

#8: Alexander Academy — Lunenburg

73% grad rate

#9: Massachusetts School of Barbering — Quincy

72% grad rate

#10: Empire Beauty School — Malden

66% grad rate

More Boston-Area Beauty School Rankings

Methodology and Editor’s Notes

We compared educational institutions from the Beauty Schools Directory database of beauty programs across the U.S. Those analyzed for these rankings were educational institutions that:

Report into the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)—predominantly institutions with programmatic accreditation
Had 50 or more students over the course of 12 months as of 2022
Were not a vocational/technical high school, community college, or postsecondary school that mainly offered programs outside of beauty training. We also excluded institutions offering massage therapy programs exclusively. These types of institutions were omitted for various reasons that make key data points difficult or irrelevant to compare apples to apples. We intended to compare standalone beauty schools or schools that mainly train beauty students.
For this ranking, “graduation rate within 150% of normal completion time of the program” was chosen as the variable, because beauty education caters to many nontraditional postsecondary students who often have life reasons that interfere with graduation within 100% of normal completion time. Institutions with such a graduation rate of less than 50% were omitted from the ranking.

Data was sourced from 2022, the latest available as of publication date.