Santa Monica College

Ever feel the weight of a pivotal moment? Santa Monica College has seen a few. Santa Monica College first opened its doors in September 1929. It began as Santa Monica Junior College, a humble institution with a mere seven faculty members and 153 students. Classes were held on the second floor of Santa Monica High School. The college’s birth coincided with the Wall Street Crash of 1929. Despite the economic turmoil of the Great Depression, Santa Monica College persevered. Enrollment even grew to 355 in 1930 and 600 in 1931. The college then moved to the vacant Garfield Elementary School building on Michigan Avenue. This building, however, was deemed unsafe after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Classes were then held in tents and bungalows on the Garfield site. Students affectionately nicknamed this makeshift campus “Splinterville.” In 1945, the junior college was renamed Santa Monica City College. The current main campus on Pico Boulevard opened in 1952. Fast forward to the 21st century and Santa Monica College faced a different kind of crisis. In 2012, a proposed two-tiered education system sparked controversy and protests. Tragically, the campus was also the scene of a shooting in 2013 that began off-campus but ended in the college library. More recently, in 2024, a shooting at the Center for Media and Design claimed the life of an employee. These incidents underscore the challenges that Santa Monica College has navigated throughout its history. Despite these difficulties, Santa Monica College continues to be a vital part of the community. It has grown from its humble beginnings to become a large institution. It now serves over 30,000 students, offering more than 90 fields of study. Santa Monica College is known for its high transfer rates to four-year universities, a testament to its commitment to academic excellence.