History:

Citizens of Dallas County have always supported DCCCD with financial as well as people support. DCCCD has become an important fixture in the community, and it is an investment that has paid off well.

Forty years ago, a visionary Board of Trustees that included such Dallas luminaries as R.L. Thornton, II, Mrs. Margaret McDermott and DCCCD’s founding chancellor, Dr. Bill J. Priest, set a daunting goal: Create the best community college district in the United States.

They, and numerous other Dallas County civic leaders who supported their efforts, were dedicated to providing citizens with access to quality education that was both convenient and affordable. Thanks to their determination and hard work, Dallas citizens created Dallas County Community College District in 1965. El Centro College, DCCCD's first, was opened in 1966.

DCCCD now has seven colleges that enroll more than 100,000 credit and noncredit students every semester, making it one of the largest higher education institutions in the state of Texas. Four decades of growth and progress are a credit to the vision of Dallas area citizens.