Cosmetology at Empire Beauty School-Avondale

Empire Beauty School-Avondale delivers mixed results for cosmetology students. While the program keeps debt relatively low at $13,849 (much better than the national average), the earnings picture is concerning. Graduates earn $18,639 in their first year, which beats the national median but falls well short of Arizona's typical cosmetology earnings of $21,132. More troubling, this program ranks in just the 40th percentile among Arizona's 24 cosmetology schools, meaning 60% of in-state competitors produce better-earning graduates.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.74 is manageable, and graduates do see modest income growth to $20,245 by year four. However, Arizona clearly has stronger cosmetology programs—the top schools in the state produce graduates earning $23,000-$27,000 annually, significantly outpacing Empire's results. Given that Arizona's cosmetology market appears robust (with higher state medians than national), this suggests the issue may be program-specific rather than market-driven.

For Arizona families, this program represents a questionable value proposition. While the debt load won't be crushing, your child would likely earn $2,500+ more annually by attending a higher-performing Arizona cosmetology school. Since many competitors likely offer similar tuition rates, the extra research to find a top-tier program could pay dividends for decades.