LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A recent ranking placed Woodland Community College first among California community colleges and fourth nationwide.

On Aug. 12, WalletHub, a personal financing consultant firm, released its 2025 community colleges ranking, which considers factors including affordability, education and career outcomes. 

Out of 653 community colleges across the country, Woodland Community College ranked 64th in cost and financing, 94th in education outcomes and 91st in career outcomes. 

While it did not lead in individual categories, its healthy overall performance placed it at the top in California and fourth in the nation.

The analysis uses data from the National Center for Education Statistics, Campaign for Free College Tuition, U.S. Department of Education, and Council for Community and Economic Research.

The national top community college in the ranking, State Technical College of Missouri, delivers one of the best education and career outcomes. However, it ranks 367 in cost and financing. 

“As a college, our staff, faculty, and students are honored to be recognized for their mission-focused and student-centered efforts,” Woodland Community College President Lizette Navarette told Lake County News in an email. 

“This achievement reflects our dedication to affordability, academic excellence, and advancing student success while fostering a caring and supportive campus culture,” said an email from Korinda Ebenhack, dean of the college’s Lake County campus and Colusa County Center. 

Woodland Community College has three campuses: the main campus in Woodland, the Colusa County Center in Williams, and the Lake County campus, which has been located in Clearlake since 1974. 

While California is among the most expensive states, Woodland Community College is ranked more affordable than over 80% of all community colleges analysed in the study.

Typically, the college charges residents a state-mandated enrollment fee of $46 per unit, plus a $10 student health fee except for high school dual enrolled students. For nonresidents or foreign students, it would be $365 per unit. 

Various financial aid programs are available to help students in need pay for school. 

“Many students wind up paying no tuition, because almost every student is eligible for financial aid or for the Cal Grant,” Ebenhack told Lake County News in a late-2024 phone interview. “If they qualify for a support program like EOP [Education Opportunity Program], they get extra funding so they can get books paid for.”

In the school year 2024-25, the total amount of financial aid disbursed is reported to be $7,569,048, with over $5.5 million coming from grants. Some 567 degrees and 415 certificates are awarded, with 208 degrees for transfer for the school year.  

The school now has a 7,655-student headcount with an average age of 23. Among all students, 2,278 are high school students, and 2,540 are full-time equivalent students. 

The student body consists mostly of minority ethnicities: 52% Latinx, 23% White, 11% Asian and 3% Black. 

Woodland offers programs and credentials across five fields of study: arts, communication and culture; business, hospitality and entrepreneurship; natural resources and the environment; social justice and public service; and science and technology. 

Find out more about the college at their official website.

Email staff reporter Lingzi Chen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Written by: Lingzi Chen

Published: 21 September 2025