Community College Attendance Rises 9%

Community college enrollment in the San Fernando Valley rose by 9% over last year on the first day of classes, according to figures released Tuesday by Los Angeles district administrators.

New scheduling techniques, advance mailings of class schedules and increased instructional spending contributed to an increase in the student population at Valley, Mission and Pierce colleges.

The Valley schools reflect a districtwide trend, in which enrollment has grown from 90,054 last year to 93,123 on Monday.

With an 11% increase over last year, Mission College--the smallest in the nine-campus Los Angeles Community College District--has grown faster than any other in the Valley. As of Monday, 5,725 students had registered at Mission.

“We went to a block time schedule,” said interim President Thomas Oliver. Classes at Mission that used to be held three times a week for one hour will be held twice a week for 1 1/2 hours, giving schedulers more flexibility to offer core classes, such as math and English, at different times.

A night program also was opened at Monroe High School in North Hills with an enrollment of about 700 students, Oliver said.

Valley College, which has used a block schedule for several semesters, increased enrollment by about 1%, which is below the district average. But Valley administrators expect the number to grow over the next few days of registration.

Pierce’s enrollment is up 5.3%.