The District was established in 1962, with a single college and has since grown to serve over 270,000 students in credit and non-credit programs making it the largest provider of post-secondary education in the state of Arizona. Today, the district's colleges and centers offer comprehensive educational programs in professional, occupational, special interest, and continuing education curricula to serve the needs of the rapidly growing county area.

About Our College:
Founded in 1985, Paradise Valley Community College has grown from a per-semester enrollment in 1987 of 3,700 to over 9,105 today. The college’s unduplicated headcount per year is over 14,195, with an additional 6,000 in non-credit and continuing education programs. Historically, PVCC has seen enrollment growth between 2-7% each semester. Coincident with enrollment growth has been the increase in number of faculty: from 27 full-time residential faculty in 1987 to 115 in 2008 (plus 391 adjunct faculty in 2008). The total number of employees has grown from 62 in 1987 to 253 in 2008 .

Demographics:
Underrepresented student populations have increased as well: Hispanic from 3.6% to 10.9%, Asian from 1.5% to 3.7%, and Black from 0.6% to 2.6%. In our service area, the 2000 U.S. Census demographic data indicate 79.4% white, compared to 70.3% in the PVCC student population. Women represent the majority of student enrollments, about 56%. The college’s Office of Disability Services currently has 454 ADA-registered students with disabilities and an annual budget about $120,000. The percentage of students aged 19 and under has expanded to almost 33%, reflecting increasing interest on the part of high school seniors; however, almost 18% of the student body is age 40 or over. Day enrollment is approximately 66% of the total, while night enrollment continues to be strong .

Affiliation and Accreditation:
Paradise Valley Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and a member of the North Central Association (NCA). PVCC evaluates all aspects of itself regularly and is scheduled for its next reaffirmation of accreditation status in 2015.