In 1926, higher education was reserved for a relative few, but farsighted citizens in Glendale recognized the need to open doors to academic and vocational instruction to a broader base of the community. As a result, Glendale citizens voted to form a community college, or junior college as it was then called, as part of the Glendale Unified School District.

The first semester, 139 students responded to the public notice that college classes were to be offered in the buildings of Glendale Union High School at Broadway and Verdugo. The college was an immediate success and by 1929 the student population increased to 435, with 27 faculty members.

Through the years Glendale Junior College continued to grow. It moved to the present site in 1937 with the support of a bond election and funds matched equally by a WPA grant. Total cost for purchase and construction of the new 59 acre site was $390,000.

In 1971, as the college became more responsive to the needs of the greater Glendale community, the Board of Education officially changed the name to Glendale Community College
District.

Fast forward to 2018 - Glendale Community College is a dynamic institution with more than 25,000 students. They are enrolled in college-credit at the Verdugo Campus, continuing education at the Garfield Campus, community services classes held throughout the community, and the Professional Development Center (PDC) located in Montrose. The college serves an ethnically diverse student body with no single group forming a majority.

The faculty has used its energy to develop a wide ranging curriculum intended to prepare students for the 21st century. Student services faculty provide invaluable academic, career, and financial counseling to students. Today the goal of those farsighted citizens of Glendale has been achieved. Higher education is available to all who come to Glendale Community College.