Palo Verde College
Tel:
(760)921-5500
- Palo Verde College is a California community college that provides an exemplary learning environment with high quality educational programs and services. It promotes student success, lifelong learning and community development. Our goal is to create better futures for our students and our communities.
School Highlights
- Palo Verde College serves 3,446 students (16% of students are full-time).
- Minority enrollment is 72% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the state average of 68%.
- Palo Verde College is one of 7 community colleges within Riverside County, CA.
- The nearest community college to Palo Verde College is Arizona Western College (73.4 miles away).
School Overview
- The teacher population of 42 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
| Palo Verde College | (CA) Community College Avg. | |
| Institution Level | At least 2 but less than 4 years | At least 2 but less than 4 years |
| Institution Control | Public | Public |
| Total Faculty | 42 staff | 97 staff |
| Total Enrollment | 3,446 students | 7,516 students |
 | ||
| Student : Teacher Ratio | 82:1 | 44:1 |
| # Full-Time Students | 537 students | 1,613 students |
| # Part-Time Students | 2,909 students | 5,903 students |
 |  | |
| % American Indian/Alaskan | 2% | - |
| % Asian | 5% | 13% |
| % Hispanic | 44% | 37% |
| % Black | 18% | 7% |
| % White | 28% | 32% |
| % Two or more races | 3% | 3% |
 |  | |
| Diversity Score | 0.69 | 0.73 |
 | ||
| College Completion Rate | 19% | 29% |
| Average Graduate Earnings (10 Years) | $29,900 | $34,600 |
Source: 2016 (or latest year available) IPEDS
School Notes
- Palo Verde College is one of California's smaller community colleges. Students at Palo Verde College have all the advantages of a comprehensive community college and of a small college that is able to provide its students with personalized services. Palo Verde College is located along the Colorado River in the fertile Palo Verde Valley, 165 miles west ofPhoenix, 110 miles east of Palm Springs, and 100 miles north of Yuma. Its service area includes approximately 20,556 people, 12,456 of whom reside in Blythe.The charm of Southern California agricultural life permeates the valley. Tourism is a major industry,boosted by temperate winters and summers built around river water sports. Palo Verde College is dedicated to learning, to reflection, to personal growth. People of all ages and backgrounds attend from early morning to late evening and weekends to take advantage of a wide varietyof course offerings. The College has a reputation for quality and a readiness to respond quickly and appropriately to all community educational needs. The college was founded on September 15, 1947, six miles northwest of Blythe on the site of the former Morton Air Academy. Palo Verde College opened its doors as a junior college within the Palo Verde Unified School District. Seventeen students enrolled. By 1950, enrollment had reached 250. In September 1958, the College moved into a beautiful Spanish styled building on East Hobsonway. Athletics came into prominence. The Pirates won three conference championships in football and three in baseball. By 1966, the student body numbered 472. Palo Verde College moved to the Chanslorway campus in September, 1967. On July 1, 1973, the College separated from the Unified School District. The instructional program expanded to include vocational/technical, developmental, and continuing education courses. In August, 2001 the college began classes on its new, 200-acre campus. By Spring 2003, more than 2,000 students were enrolled in classes. Students attend Palo Verde College in preparation for transfer to a four-year institution, to acquire entry level job skills, or to increase their vocational competency for personal enrichment. Palo Verde College is pleased with the prestige its faculty and graduates have received. The continued success of the College depends upon superior teaching, and faculty members are selected with this in mind. Palo Verde College is a Public Community College Accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, The Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Nearby Schools
- The nearest community college to Palo Verde College is Arizona Western College (73.4 miles away).
- College Location Mi. Students
- Arizona Western CollegePublic7,702 students | 73.40 Mi2020 S. Avenue 8E
Yuma, AZ 85365
(928)317-6000 73.407,702 - Imperial Valley CollegePublic8,135 students | 78.50 Mi380 E. Aten Road
Imperial, CA 92251
(760)352-8320 78.508,135 - 1,652 students | 91.70 Mi6162 Rotary Way
Joshua Tree, CA 92252
(760)366-3791 91.701,652 - College of the DesertPublic9,719 students | 97.90 Mi43-500 Monterey Ave
Palm Desert, CA 92260
(760)346-8041 97.909,719 - Mayfield CollegePublic509 students | 101.80 Mi35-325 Date Palm Drive
Cathedral City, CA 92234
(760)328-5554 101.80509
Recent Articles
We continue to report on the ongoing saga in the California community college system. Schools are now opening for fall semester with fewer courses due to serious budget cuts, and students are feeling the academic pain.
The role of community colleges in the world of higher education has expanded over the years and, as the country works to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, they may be more important now than ever. Read on to learn more about the changing role of community colleges.
Colleges across the country are struggling to recover from the massive upheaval to the 2019-20 semester wrought by COVID-19. Housing refunds and slashed budgets are bound to have long-term impacts for the institutions that survive. Some experts suggest community colleges may be the best equipped to ride out the storm and may have the greatest impact in helping America recover.
