Our District
Facts at a Glance | History
The Seattle Community Colleges serve all of metropolitan Seattle and
its surrounding communities, and comprise the largest community college
district in the state, educating nearly 55,000 students each year.
The first classes were held in the Edison Vocational Technical Institute
on Capitol Hill, when "Seattle Community College" — now Seattle Central
Community College — opened in 1966 as part of the public school system.
The State Community College Act of 1967 established college districts
apart from the public schools, with a mandate to provide "an open door to
education" for all who seek it. A long-range plan called for three
campuses in the city, and planning began immediately for North Seattle
Community College and South Seattle Community College.
By September 1970, all three colleges opened together for the first time
as a multi-campus district. Seattle Vocational Institute joined the district
in 1991 under the state’s Work Force Training and Education Act. The district
also includes five specialized training centers located throughout the city:
- Seattle Maritime Academy and Wood Construction Center, affiliated with Central.
- Sand Point Education Center, affiliated with North.
- Duwamish Education Center and NewHolly Learning Center, affiliated with South.
Students choose from an array of more than 135 academic and
career-technical programs, the largest number in the state. The curriculum
has led the way as the Puget Sound area moved from a manufacturing and
resource-based economy to information-based industries.
Like the region, the college population is dynamic. The student body
is the most diverse in the Northwest, reflecting the nearly 100 different
languages spoken in homes throughout the city.
By design, each of the colleges reflects its community. While the colleges
are an integral part of their neighborhoods and offer certain unique educational
programs, all are comprehensive and offer programs in college transfer,
professional-technical training, adult basic education, and continuing education