History
The Early Days
San Antonio College, one of the oldest community colleges in Texas, was established as University Junior College in September 1925, under the auspices of the University of Texas. The following year control of the College was transferred to the San Antonio Independent School District and the name was changed to San Antonio Junior College.
With passage of state legislation authorizing the creation of junior college districts, administrators embarked on an active campaign to create the San Antonio Union Junior College District. Approved in 1945, the District assumed control of the San Antonio Junior College and St. Philip's Junior College, originally a private Episcopal Institution, in 1946. Two years later, "Junior" was dropped from the names of the colleges, and attention focused on finding a permanent facility.
The College’s first offices were housed at 203 Romano Street on the northwest side of Main Avenue High School near Romano Plaza. The campus was moved in 1926 to the 400 block of South Alamo Street, once home to the German-English school.
Moving On Up
In January 1951, San Antonio College moved to its present site on San Pedro Avenue across from San Pedro Park. Enrollment was less than 500 students. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted accreditation to the college in 1952.
In the mid-1960s the college expanded its mission to include vocational, technical and adult education. By the late 1960s San Antonio College became a comprehensive community college by expanding offerings in occupational and technical courses and by assuming the San Antonio Independent School District’s continuing education program.
Becoming a District
The name of the College district was changed to San Antonio Community College District in 1978 and in 1982 the district was renamed the Alamo Community College District. In 2009 trustees approved that the ACCD be referred to as Alamo Colleges District to encompass all five colleges.
In support of the mission of the Alamo Community College District, San Antonio College responds to Bexar County’s diverse community by providing high quality general education, liberal arts and sciences, career education, continuing education and developmental education. One of the largest single-campus community colleges in the state and nation, SAC has about 20,000 students enrolled every semester and awards more than 5,000 degress and certificates each year.