Barstow Community College

What Barstow Community College does

Barstow Community College is a public two-year community college founded in 1959 and headquartered in Barstow, California. It serves the High Desert region of San Bernardino County through its main campus in Barstow and an extension site located on the Fort Irwin U.S. Army installation, providing associate degree pathways, certificates, career and technical education (CTE) programs, and distance education. Core technology infrastructure consists of Moodle as the learning management system and Ellucian Banner as the student information system — both commodity platforms widely used across the U.S. community college sector rather than proprietary systems. The institution's business model is the standard California community college financing structure: state apportionment funding (FTES-driven), Title IV federal student aid (Pell Grants, Federal Direct Loans), supplemental institutional grants, and per-unit student tuition set at $46 for California residents. Supplementary revenue comes from categorical programs such as the Higher Education Housing and Hunger Incentive Program (HHIP) supporting the Basic Needs Center, and from emergency student aid disbursements.

The college has expanded the geographic scope of its distance education offering through state authorization to deliver coursework in more than 20 U.S. states, allowing online enrollment outside the High Desert physical catchment. During the COVID-19 period it received a cumulative total exceeding $5.5M in HEERF I/II/III federal emergency relief funding and state emergency student aid, which was used to support institutional stability and student needs. The Barstow College Promise 2.0 program covers first-year tuition and fees for eligible incoming students, functioning as a demand-side enrollment incentive layered on top of the standard public funding model.

The institution's strategic positioning centers on serving populations underserved by four-year institutions in a geographically remote, military-adjacent region. Its core customer segments include traditional college-age learners from Barstow and surrounding communities, active-duty military personnel and dependents accessed via the Fort Irwin extension, adult learners pursuing CTE credentials, and low-income students supported through Pell and emergency aid programs. There is no indication of proprietary technology development, AI/ML capability, or commercial-product positioning beyond the institution's core educational mission.

Name

Barstow Community College

Legal name

Barstow Community College

Website

https://barstow.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Public community college founded in 1959 in Barstow, California, serving the High Desert region of San Bernardino County via its main campus and Fort Irwin military extension, offering associate degrees, certificates, CTE, and multi-state distance education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community College Education

NAICS

Junior Colleges (61121), Junior Colleges (611210), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Junior Colleges (Associate-Degree Granting) (EDAHADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comprehensive Community Colleges (Transfer + Workforce) (EDAHADAE), Transfer/University-Parallel Community Colleges (EDAHADAF)

Keywords

• Community college education
• Associate degree programs
• Vocational training certificates
• Distance online learning
• Higher education services

Headquarters

HQ city

Barstow, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Student Tuition and Fees: The college charges tuition per unit for California residents and additional out-of-state tuition for non-residents. Fees include enrollment fees, health fees, and other mandatory charges established by the Board of Trustees.
2. State Funding (California Community Colleges): As a public community college, Barstow Community College receives operational funding from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, which allocates state tax revenue and lottery funds to districts based on enrollment and other metrics.
3. Federal Financial Aid Administration: The college participates in federal Title IV programs including Pell Grants, Federal Work-Study, and Cal Grants. While these funds go directly to students, the college administers approximately $5.5 million in HEERF emergency aid distributions to students.
4. Barstow College Foundation Donations: The college maintains a foundation (Barstow College Foundation) that receives charitable donations and manages scholarships for students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Barstow Community College is a public two-year institution offering associate degrees, associate degrees for transfer (ADT) to four-year universities, and short-term vocational certificates across six guided academic pathways. It delivers instruction face-to-face at the Barstow main campus and Fort Irwin campus, and remotely through the Moodle learning management system, supplemented by student support services including financial aid, counseling, tutoring, basic needs assistance, athletics, and transfer guidance.

Product overview

Barstow Community College offers a comprehensive educational platform centered around associate degree and certificate programs across multiple academic pathways. The institution provides face-to-face and distance education through Moodle, supported by student services including Financial Aid, Counseling, the Basic Needs Center (with Food Pantry and HHIP housing program), Teaching and Learning Support Center (TLSC) for tutoring, MESA for STEM students, Athletics (Vikings), Military Programs, and the Barstow College Promise 2.0 for new student support. The college operates from a main campus in Barstow and a Fort Irwin campus, serving students in San Bernardino County.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Associate Degree Programs Two-year associate degree programs across multiple disciplines including Arts, Science, and Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) pathways to four-year universities; designed for students seeking higher education credentials or transfer.
• Certificate Programs Short-term vocational certificate programs in fields such as Cosmetology, Welding, Diesel Technology, Automotive Technology, and Business Information Systems; designed for students seeking workforce credentials.
• Distance Education / Online Learning Online and hybrid course offerings delivered through Moodle learning management system, enabling students to complete coursework remotely; targeted at distance learners and non-traditional students.
• Career & Technical Education (CTE) Workforce-oriented programs under the Trades and Applied Technology pathway including Welding, Industrial Maintenance, Diesel Technology, and Automotive Technology; designed to prepare students for skilled trade careers.
• Barstow College Promise 2.0 A program providing priority registration and support services for new students to help them succeed in their first year of college; targeted at incoming and first-year students.
• Financial Aid Services Comprehensive financial assistance including Federal Pell Grants, Cal Grants, Federal Work-Study, BOG Fee Waivers, and scholarship programs; targeted at students needing financial support to enroll and persist.
• Military Programs Educational services for active duty military members and veterans at the main campus and Fort Irwin location, including military-friendly support services; targeted at service members and their families.
• Basic Needs Center Support services addressing food insecurity, housing instability, and other essential needs including a Food Pantry, Homeless/Housing Insecurity Program (HHIP), and emergency assistance; targeted at students facing basic-needs gaps.
• Food Pantry Daily breakfast, lunch, snacks, and weekly shelf-stable food distribution for enrolled students to address food insecurity; targeted at enrolled students experiencing food insecurity.
• Homeless/Housing Insecurity Program (HHIP) College-focused rapid rehousing, housing stabilization services, and case management for students experiencing housing insecurity in San Bernardino County; targeted at housing-insecure students.
• Teaching and Learning Support Center (TLSC) Peer tutoring services and academic support providing quality instructional assistance in a supportive learning environment; targeted at students needing supplemental academic help.
• MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) Academic support program designed to increase transfer rates of educationally underrepresented students majoring in math, engineering, and science; targeted at STEM students from underrepresented backgrounds.
• Transfer Center Guidance and resources for students planning to transfer to four-year universities, including articulation agreements and transfer pathway planning; targeted at students pursuing ADT and university transfer.
• Athletics Program Intercollegiate athletics program featuring the Barstow Vikings competing in various sports with dedicated facilities and student athlete support; targeted at student athletes.
• ACCESS (Disability Services) Services and accommodations for students with disabilities including academic adjustments, auxiliary aids, and support services; targeted at students with disabilities.
• The Mindful Space Mental health and wellness services providing counseling, stress management, and emotional support for students; targeted at students seeking mental health support.
• Performing Arts Center Facilities for theater productions, music performances, and cultural events serving both students and the community; targeted at performing arts students and community audiences.
• Adult Education Adult education and continuing education programming offered through the college's academic affairs unit; targeted at non-traditional adult learners.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Community Action Partnership of San BernardinominorOthersThe college partners with Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino to provide emergency food boxes to students in addition to the college's regular food pantry services. This collaboration supports the Basic Needs Center's mission to address student food insecurity.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Palo Verde College: Small rural California community college in Blythe with a comparable enrollment size, transfer and CTE focus, and service to a low-income rural population in the Colorado River region.
• Imperial Valley College: California community college serving a rural, high-need, bilingual service area with strong CTE and basic-needs programming; structurally comparable to Barstow in mission and demographics.
• Modesto Junior College: Larger California community college in the Yosemite Community College District; comparable in providing associate degrees, ADT pathways, CTE, and student support services, though at greater scale.
• Coastline College: California community college distinguished by its distance education and military-contract programs; directly comparable in the multi-state online and military student segments.
• Cerro Coso Community College: California community college serving rural Eastern Sierra communities, including a Ridgecrest/Iraq-era military-connected population; comparable small rural public two-year college with strong military student enrollment and online offerings.
• Victor Valley College: Adjacent California community college district serving the High Desert region of San Bernardino County; directly comparable public two-year institution with similar transfer/CTE mix, military population, and rural service-area economics.
• Copper Mountain College: Small rural California community college in Joshua Tree serving the Morongo Basin — a comparable single-campus public two-year college with transfer, CTE, and basic-needs support services.

Broad incumbents

• San Bernardino Valley College: Larger California community college within the same San Bernardino County region; overlapping service territory and program mix, with greater scale and broader program portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Barstow_College
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/barstowcommunitycollege
• Facebookfacebook.com/BarstowCommunityCollege
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/barstow-college
• Instagraminstagram.com/barstow_community_college

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Barstow Community College