Houston has a large selection of entry-level healthcare training programs, including both dedicated Home Health Aide education and Texas-approved CNA programs.
Students who want the broadest employment options often choose CNA training because it can lead to work in home health agencies, nursing facilities, rehabilitation centers, assisted living communities, and other healthcare settings.
Most Houston CNA programs require around 100 hours of training, while dedicated HHA programs generally start at 75 hours.
1 Houston City College
Houston City College offers a Certified Nurse Aide program through its Continuing Education division.
Students learn essential patient-care skills such as:
- Personal hygiene
- Activities of daily living
- Vital signs
- Patient mobility
- Transfers
- Infection prevention
- Patient safety
- Communication
- Observation and reporting
Graduates can pursue CNA certification and use their training to seek employment in home health as well as long-term care and other healthcare environments.
Program Length
The program contains approximately 108 contact hours.
Training is conducted in person and combines classroom education with hands-on preparation.
Cost
Current program tuition is $895.
Books, course materials, and the state certification examination are not included.
The Texas CNA examination costs approximately $125.
Students should also budget for uniforms, health requirements, and screening expenses.
Admission Requirements
Students should expect to provide:
- Government-issued identification
- Signed Social Security card
- Current immunization records
- Criminal background check
- Navy blue scrubs
A mandatory information session is also required before beginning the program.
What Makes This Program Worth Considering?
Houston City College is a strong public-college option with multiple campuses around the Houston area.
The $895 tuition is competitive, especially for students who prefer a large college system and may eventually continue into nursing or another healthcare program.
Address: 1300 Holman St, Houston, TX 77004
2 Texas Health School
Texas Health School offers a 100-hour Nurse Aide program designed for students seeking entry-level healthcare employment.
Training covers:
- Bathing and grooming
- Dressing
- Toileting
- Oral care
- Vital signs
- Mobility
- Range-of-motion exercises
- Nutrition
- Infection control
- Communication with patients
- Care of patients with memory impairment
Graduates can pursue employment with home health agencies, hospitals, nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and similar employers.
Program Length
Students can choose from several schedules:
- Day program: approximately 4 weeks
- Evening program: approximately 6.25 weeks
- Weekend program: approximately 12 weeks
The 100 hours consist of:
- 30 lecture hours
- 30 laboratory hours
- 40 externship hours
Cost
Texas Health School does not currently publish a simple standalone 2026 Nurse Aide tuition amount on its main program page.
Students should request a complete written cost before enrolling.
Financial aid, workforce assistance, veteran benefits, and monthly payment arrangements may be available depending on eligibility.
Admission Requirements
Applicants generally need:
- High school diploma, GED, or qualifying equivalent
- Ability to read and write English
- Wonderlic score of approximately 11
- Background clearance
- Appropriate registry eligibility
Students must generally be at least 17 when applying and 18 before beginning clinical or externship training.
What Makes This Program Worth Considering?
Scheduling flexibility is one of the biggest advantages.
Students can choose daytime, evening, or weekend training, making the program practical for people who need to continue working while attending school.
The school also offers several more advanced healthcare programs, making it useful for students who plan to move beyond CNA work later.
Address: 11511 Katy Freeway, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77079
3 Center for Excellence Nurse Aide Training
Center for Excellence offers a hybrid Texas CNA program.
Students complete the first portion of training online through live instruction and then transition to in-person skills and clinical education.
Training covers:
- Long-term care
- HIPAA and confidentiality
- Resident rights
- Mental-health needs
- Restorative care
- Basic nursing care
- Patient safety
- Clinical skills
The complete program meets Texas’ 100-hour nurse aide training requirement.
Program Length
Training takes approximately 5 to 6 weeks.
The program includes 100 total hours.
The first several days are completed online, followed by in-person training and a clinical externship.
Cost
Current Houston pricing is approximately:
- Tuition: $686
- Books: $40
- Scrubs: $42
Total school cost: $768.
The Texas CNA examination is approximately $125.
That brings the basic training-and-testing total to approximately $893.
A payment plan is available, with an initial payment of about $250.
Admission Requirements
Students need one of the following:
- High school diploma
- High school transcript
- College transcript
- GED
- Proof of eighth-grade completion
Students also need:
- Social Security card
- Government-issued identification
- Eligibility to work in healthcare based on criminal and registry screening
- Basic computer skills are necessary because part of the course is online.
What Makes This Program Worth Considering?
The approximately $768 school cost makes Center for Excellence one of Houston’s more affordable CNA programs.
The hybrid structure is another advantage because students can complete part of their training from home while still receiving the required in-person clinical experience.
Address: 8100 Rough Rider Dr Ste 103, San Antonio, TX 78239, United States
4 Dotson Healthcare Institute
Dotson Healthcare Institute offers a Texas-approved Nurse Aide Training Program.
Students complete:
- 60 hours of classroom and laboratory instruction
- 40 hours of clinical and skills training
The curriculum concentrates on helping patients safely complete activities of daily living while preserving independence and dignity.
Students learn skills such as bathing, dressing, feeding, communication, observation, documentation, and basic patient care.
Program Length
The program contains 100 total hours.
Dotson offers several schedules lasting approximately 4 to 6 weeks.
Both in-person and hybrid formats are available.
Day and evening classes are offered.
Cost
Current Nurse Aide tuition is $1,125.
A deposit of approximately $200.25 can be used to reserve a place, with payment plans available.
Admission Requirements
Students need:
- Valid identification
- Social Security card or TIN
- Background check
- Immunization documentation
- CPR certification
A high school diploma or GED is not required for the Nurse Aide program.
Students must also complete orientation before starting.
What Makes This Program Worth Considering?
Dotson combines traditional and hybrid schedules with day and evening options.
It is also an approved CNA examination site, allowing students to train and test through the same organization.
For students who value convenience during the certification process, that can be a significant advantage.
Address: 14300 Cornerstone Village Drive, Suite 226, Houston, TX 77014
5 Providence Vocational School
Providence Vocational School offers a Nurse Aide program designed to prepare students for Texas CNA certification.
Training combines classroom instruction with hands-on patient-care preparation.
The program teaches the fundamental skills needed for employment in long-term care and other direct-care environments, including home health.
Program Length
The program contains approximately 104 hours.
Training takes 4 to 5 weeks.
This places Providence close to the standard accelerated schedule offered by many Houston CNA schools.
Cost
Providence publishes a detailed total cost of approximately $1,400.
The breakdown includes roughly:
- Registration and administration: $100
- Tuition: $990
- Textbook: $100
- Supplies: $50
- CNA exam processing and testing: $135
- Background check: $25
This makes the advertised price much closer to an all-in estimate than tuition-only programs.
Admission Requirements
Students need to complete the school’s admission and clinical-eligibility process.
Healthcare training generally requires appropriate identification, background clearance, and documentation showing that the student can safely participate in clinical education.
What Makes This Program Worth Considering?
Providence is particularly useful for students who want transparent pricing.
Instead of advertising a low tuition number and then adding several hundred dollars in fees, the school provides an estimated total that already includes testing, books, supplies, and the background check.
That makes budgeting considerably easier.
Address: 13155 Westheimer Road, Suite 133, Houston, TX 77077
6 University of Houston Online Home Health Aide Program
The University of Houston offers an online Home Health Aide career-training program in partnership with an online career-education provider.
Unlike the CNA programs above, this course specifically concentrates on home health.
Students study:
- Personal care
- Safety and emergency procedures
- Vital signs
- Nutrition and meal planning
- Infection prevention
- Restorative care
- Mental and emotional health
- Pediatric care
- Care for clients with special needs
- Medical terminology
- Preparing for an HHA career
No previous healthcare experience is required.
Program Length
The course contains approximately 280 hours.
Students receive up to 12 months to complete the program.
Because it is self-paced, motivated students may complete it sooner.
Cost
Current tuition is approximately $2,595.
Instructional materials are included.
Payment plans, workforce funding, and certain military education benefits may be available.
Admission Requirements
Students should generally:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a high school diploma or equivalent
- Have access to a computer
- Have reliable internet access
- Have an email account
What Makes This Program Worth Considering?
This is the most HHA-specific option in the group and the most flexible because it is entirely online and self-paced.
However, it is also substantially more expensive than Houston’s CNA programs.
Students should also understand that completing the online course provides a certificate of completion but does not itself guarantee certification or employment.
Anyone planning to work for a Texas home health agency should confirm that the program, along with any required clinical experience or employer competency evaluation, meets that employer’s requirements before enrolling.
Address: Online
Schools Summary Table
Read the full guide: How to Become a Home Health Aide
