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Colleges in and near Central Gardens

Lamar University is 4.9 miles from Central Gardens

No college sits inside Central Gardens’ boundary, but Lamar University’s campus in Beaumont, with 6,879 students on campus, is 4.9 miles from the center of town, and Lamar Institute of Technology is 5.3 miles away in Beaumont. About 7% of Central Gardens’ residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas (6%).

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Central Gardens. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
3
13,894 students on campus
Nearest college
4.9 mi
Lamar University
Residents in college
7%
About the same as TX (6%)
Nearest community college
5.3 mi
Lamar Institute of Technology · $2,844 tuition
Nearest public university
65.1 mi
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Median household income
$84K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Central Gardens

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A university 4.9 miles awayLamar University has 6,879 students on campus in Beaumont, 37% of whom graduate within six years.A community college 5.3 miles awayLamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont: tuition and fees $2,844 a year for Texas residents.Students are 7% of residentsAbout the same as Texas (6%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Central Gardens

All 3 are public. Every other college is more than 15 miles from Central Gardens.

5 mi10 mi15 miLamar UniversityLamar Institute of TechnologyLamar State College-Port ArthurCentral Gardens
University or collegeCommunity college
Lamar UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 6,879 on campus · 4.9 mi · Beaumont · mostly online86%admitted$9knet price37%graduate$50kearnings61% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Lamar Institute of TechnologyCommunity college · Public · 3,816 on campus · 5.3 mi · Beaumont$14knet price31%graduate$39kearningsTuition and fees: $2,844 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Lamar State College-Port ArthurCommunity college · Public · 3,199 on campus · 9.4 mi · Port Arthur$3knet price45%graduate$37kearningsTuition and fees: $1,770 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles and the nearest public four-year college. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Central Gardens’ median household income ($83,750) falls.

Lamar State College-Port Arthur9.4 mi · Port Arthur · sticker $10,754 · tuition $1,770$9,110a year
Lamar University4.9 mi · Beaumont · mostly online · sticker $22,254$13,689a year
Lamar Institute of Technology5.3 mi · Beaumont · sticker $19,245 · tuition $2,844$17,451a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Lamar UniversityLamar Institute of TechnologyLamar State College-Port Arthur
Lamar University37% graduate$50k earnings$21k typical debt
Lamar Institute of Technology31% graduate$39k earnings$13k typical debt
Lamar State College-Port Arthur45% graduate$37k earnings$13k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Questions about college near Central Gardens

Is Central Gardens a college town?

No. About 7 of every 100 Central Gardens residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Texas (6). The nearest campus, Lamar University, is 4.9 miles away in Beaumont.

What colleges are near Central Gardens?

Within 15 miles: Lamar University (4.9 miles, 6,879 students on campus), Lamar Institute of Technology (5.3 miles, 3,816) and Lamar State College-Port Arthur (9.4 miles, 3,199).

What is the closest community college to Central Gardens, and what does it cost?

Lamar Institute of Technology in Beaumont, 5.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $2,844 a year for Texas residents; the federal net price, $13,866, counts housing and food at full cost.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Central Gardens. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →