MISSION STATEMENT
Improving people's lives through life-long learning.
ABOUT CENTRALIA COLLEGE
As the oldest continuously operating two-year public college in the state of Washington (founded in 1925), Centralia College has a rich heritage of transfer, workforce, and basic skills programs serving the community. The college serves Lewis and south Thurston counties with a population of over 75,000.
A community college in the truest sense, we are in the center of Centralia on a tree-lined, 30+ acre campus. Our enrollment averages 10,444 total annual students with 2,600 full-time equivalent (FTEs), and we employ about 260 full-time employees.
Centralia College helps you pursue goals that lead to successful careers at regional, national, and international levels. Our graduates can transfer to any four-year college in the state or compete for jobs after completing one of our workforce programs. We now offer bachelor degree programs.
DISTANCE LEARNING
In addition to our face-to-face degree and certificate programs, you can earn your associate degree completely online. Instructors who not only have real-world experience in their field, but also maintain solid connections with industry employers can help you land a job.
THE REGION
The college is located in southwest Washington on the 1-5 corridor midway between Seattle and Portland, in a beautifully green area of forests and farmland. Wide fertile valleys are bordered by picturesque Mt. Rainier 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 famous Columbia River Gorge and Mount St. 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.
CENTRALIA COLLEGE EAST
Centralia College East (CCEast), located in Morton, represents Centralia College's dedication to meeting educational needs of the residents of central and eastern Lewis County. CCEast provides registration services, educational advising and tutoring, Running Start, career counseling, assistance with financial aid, adult literacy tutoring, GED, T.E.E.N. program for pregnant and parenting teens, placement testing (COMPASS), and online access to Centralia College's library resources. Some classes connect CCEast students to the main campus via interactive television. The CCEast Organization of Students offers additional activities for students.
GARRETT HEYNS EDUCATION CENTER
The Garrett Heyns Education Center (GHEC) is located within the Washington Corrections Center, a medium security correctional facility situated on a 455-acre site three miles north of the city of Shelton. The Corrections Center is located 50 miles north of Centralia College's main campus and houses approximately 1,600 inmates. Centralia College has participated in an interagency agreement with the Department of Corrections to provide educational services for offenders since 1975. GHEC is a branch campus of Centralia College.