In May, 2015, Schools.com named the top 25 community colleges in California. They ranked the 112 schools in the California Community Colleges system, according to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, and Golden West College rose to the top tier as sixth in the state.
Each school was scored on a 10-point scale, using the following six data points and weighted values, indicated in parentheses:
- Percentage of students enrolled in distance education (15%)*
- Total cost of attendance, including tuition & fees plus books & supplies (30%)*
- Student-to-faculty ratio (15%)*
- Retention rate for both full-time and part-time students (5%)*
- Graduation rate (5%)*
- Number of transfers to the University of California and California State University systems per 1,000 students (30%)**
Top colleges earned higher marks in areas like affordability, accessibility, retention, and graduation and transfer rates. They also used key success indicators from the National Center of Education Statistics, and the University of California and California State University systems to find and rank the best community colleges in California.
“Golden West College is a major transfer all-star; its combined UC and CSU transfer rate placed it in the top 10 percent of all California community colleges in 2014. It also offers a sizable share of online classes — a feature a full one-third of its students flex each year. These distinctions are not the only factors that draw students to Golden West: it’s also set in Huntington Beach, the true Surf City USA, home to one of the state’s most popular beaches and the laid back lifestyle for which the area is known.”
Top 25 California community colleges
- Saddleback College (Mission Viejo)
- Santa Monica College (Santa Monica)
- Cypress College (Cypress)
- Las Positas College (Livermore)
- Pasadena City College (Pasadena)
- Golden West College (Huntington Beach)
- Folsom Lake College (Folsom)
- MiraCosta College (Oceanside)
- Napa Valley College (Napa)
- El Camino Community College (Torrance)
- Irvine Valley College (Irvine)
- Cosumnes River College (Sacramento)
- Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa)
- Woodland Community College (Woodland)
- Chabot College (Hayward)
- Cuesta College (San Luis Obispo)
- American River College (Sacramento)
- Merced College (Merced)
- Reedley College (Reedley)
- San Joaquin Delta
- Fresno City College (Fresno)
- Glendale Community College (Glendale)
- Sacramento City College (Sacramento)
- Fullerton College (Fullerton)
- Citrus College (Glendora)
*National Center for Education Statistics, 2013
**California State University, 2013; University of California, 2013; National Center for Education Statistics, 2013
To read the full article go to: http://www.schools.com/articles/top-25-community-colleges-in-california#methodology
