About Centralia College
Welcome to Centralia College, the oldest continuously operating community college in the state of Washington. Founded in 1925, the college has a rich heritage of professional, technical, transfer, and basic skills programs serving the community. The college has an enrollment of approximately 10,444 head count with 2,580 FTEs. There are approximately 212 full-time employees. The college is located in the center of the town of Centralia on a tree-lined, 29-acre campus.
Growth and the College's Master Plan
Enrollment growth at Centralia College, including both Running Start and State General Fund FTEs, has overwhelmed campus facilities to the point where there is not enough available space for all students applying to the college. The projected enrollment during the next two bienniums will elevate the College into the upper half of the State’s community college system in terms of density. As this situation continues, the college will need to review its capital plan to allow for growth in areas identified as critical in its strategic plan. This growth cannot properly occur without a concentrated effort to grow in concert with the
College’s 20 Year Master Plan.
The Service Area
The college's service area is Lewis County and south Thurston County. Lewis County encompasses 2,409 square miles. It is a rectangle nearly 100 miles long and 25 miles wide. The college is located in the northwest corner of the county and operates
Centralia College East, an extension center in Morton, near the county's geographic center.
The Region
The college is on the
I-5 corridor in a beautifully green area of forests and farmland. Wide fertile valleys are bordered by picturesque Mt. Rainer and the Cascade Range on the east, and the Willapa Hills on the west. Puget Sound and Hood Canal to the north and the Columbia River and the famous Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Saint Helens to the south are within a short commute from the college. The populace enjoys the mild climate of the Pacific Northwest with low mean temperatures of 38 in January and a high mean of 78 in July.
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