William Melhado
November 2, 2026
1 in 3 California community college students who take courses in the fall don’t return the following spring. Fewer than half persist in their studies for three consecutive semesters.
Over the last decade, community colleges’ retention rates have not significantly improved. Meanwhile, as California has pushed to enroll more students in higher education, the number of Californians with some college experience but no degree has continued to grow.
Community college officials say the low retention rate — the share of students who continue their education from one term to the next — reflects the makeup of their student population: Most students attend part time, making them less likely to persist, while others enroll to gain new skills rather than to earn an associate’s degree.
California has cast a wide net to enroll students, said John Hetts, executive vice chancellor of the analytics team in the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.