Centralia College | Field Guide 2024

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Centralia College has been serving students in Lewis and south Thurston counties since 1925. As a comprehensive community college, Centralia College offers a wide variety of academic transfer and career training programs, as well as transitional education and early childhood programs. The college also offers five Bachelor of Applied Science degrees: Behavioral Healthcare, Information Technology–Application Development, Diesel Technology, Applied Management (business) and Teacher Education (K-8).

Key Facts

Highest Enrolled Programs

Academic Transfer
High School Completion
Registered Nursing
Business Administration/Management
Biology

Enrollment

Headcount (all sources): 4,843
FTES (all sources): 2,022
Headcount (state-funded): 2,934
FTES (state-funded): 1,317

Students in Selected Programs

Applied bachelor's: 163
Corrections: 653
I-BEST: 27
International: 7
Running Start: 502
Worker Retraining: 239

Student Profile

Type of Student

Academic/transfer: 30%
Basic skills: 18%
Workforce education: 21%
Other: 31%

Race/Ethnicity*

Students of color: 38%

American Indian/Alaska Native: 6%
Asian: 4%
Black/African American: 7%
Hispanic/Latino: 22%
Pacific Islander: 2%
White: 77%

Attendance

Full-time: 44%
Part-time: 56%

Family and Finances

Students receiving need-based financial aid: 49%
Students with dependents: 35%

Gender

Female: 52%
Male: 48%
X: 1%

Median age

Points of Interest

New apartments available for students

Over the last decade, rental housing for students has become increasingly difficult to find. As scarcity and other economic factors have driven up the cost of housing in the Centralia College area, many students have simply been priced out of the market. Too many students are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to meet basic needs because of the high cost of housing. For that reason, the college partnered with Collegiate Housing International to build a 110-bed apartment complex adjacent to the college. The apartments opened in October 2023 and provide a much-needed affordable housing option to CC students.

Wildland Firefighter Certification

For the last two years, Centralia College East in Morton has offered a Wildland Firefighter Certification course during spring quarter. Upon completion, adults are prepared for entry-level firefighter positions (Firefighter Type 2) throughout the country with an array of organizations or agencies, including local opportunities with the Department of Natural Resources and US Forest Service. Locally and regionally, trained wildland firefighters are in dire need, and Centralia College is preparing individuals to go directly into the workforce right as fire season begins.

New athletic fields opened in 2023

In 2023, Centralia College unveiled a new multipurpose athletic field for its Blazer baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Dedicated in May as Bob Peters Field, this is the first on-site home field for Centralia College since 1989. The field is largely student-funded with additional support from private and community donors through the Centralia College Foundation.

Data is from the 2022-23 academic year. Reflects headcount unless otherwise noted.

*Students of color percent based on unduplicated headcount. Students may be counted in more than one race, so race/ethnicity percentages may not total 100%. Percentages calculated on reported value.

Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.