A century ago, higher education in the Inland Empire looked dramatically different. In 1926, voters established what was then called the San Bernardino Valley Union Junior College District, creating what district records describe as California's first union junior college district. One hundred years later, the San Bernardino Community College District is celebrating a milestone built around a remarkably consistent idea: giving local residents an affordable path to education, careers and greater opportunity.
San Bernardino Valley College was the district's first college. Classes at its current campus began during the 1927-28 academic year, when nearly 300 students enrolled in 54 course offerings. As the Inland Empire grew, the district grew with it. Today, SBCCD includes San Bernardino Valley College, Crafton Hills College, KVCR Public Media and the Economic Development & Corporate Training Center. The district reports serving nearly 30,000 students across its colleges and programs and offering approximately 150 academic and career-training programs.
That growth has made the district an important part of San Bernardino's workforce pipeline. Students can prepare for careers in healthcare, public safety, skilled trades, business and other fields while others complete coursework before transferring to four-year universities. For families concerned about the rising cost of higher education, the district also emphasizes affordability. Its current community information campaign reports that its colleges offer a substantially less expensive path than California's public four-year universities.
The centennial is not being treated solely as an opportunity to look backward. SBCCD launched a community priorities survey this year seeking input from residents, students, employers and community leaders about education and workforce training over the next 10 to 20 years. Early responses identified affordability, career preparation, skilled-trades training, campus infrastructure and preparation for 21st-century jobs among important community priorities.
San Bernardino Valley College is also looking toward its second century through modernization. Its facilities planning calls for continued improvements to classrooms, laboratories and career-training spaces, while the college says it serves more than 13,000 students each semester and offers more than 200 degrees and certificates.
The anniversary carries special meaning in San Bernardino itself. The City of San Bernardino proclaimed March 26, 2026, "Valley College Day," recognizing the college's century of service and its contributions to generations of local students.
One hundred years after local voters created the district, its classrooms look different, its technology has changed and the Inland Empire has grown beyond what its founders could have imagined. Yet the central purpose remains recognizable. A community college can be the first step toward a university degree, a new career or a second chance.
As SBCCD enters its next century, its history offers San Bernardino something worth celebrating: generations of residents have walked through its doors looking for opportunity, and generations still to come will have the chance to do the same.