Cosmetology at Ideal Beauty Academy

With small sample sizes comes uncertainty, but Ideal Beauty Academy's cosmetology program hits 60th percentile among Indiana beauty schools—a solid middle-of-the-pack showing that beats the state's median earnings by about $900. At just over $19,500 in first-year earnings, graduates are earning more than both the national and state typical outcomes, though they're still trailing the top Indiana programs like Aveda Fredric's Institute by nearly $5,000. The $8,401 in debt is notably lower than Indiana's typical $11,750, giving graduates a more manageable starting point even if the earnings aren't spectacular.

The earnings dip from year one to year four should catch your attention—it's a small decline, but in a field where you'd hope to see income growth as stylists build clientele, any backwards movement matters. This could reflect the limited sample size distorting the picture, or it might signal challenges in client retention or market saturation in the Jeffersonville area.

For parents evaluating beauty school options in Indiana, this program offers reasonable value through its lower debt load, but your child would likely have better earnings potential at the Indianapolis-area schools that dominate the top of the rankings. If location or family circumstances make Jeffersonville the only practical choice, the debt-to-earnings ratio below 0.5 means the financial burden is at least manageable on a cosmetologist's income.