California Public Colleges Ranked by Smallest Enrollment

Below is a ranking of the 148 public colleges in California with the smallest enrollment of full and part time students. California Indian Nations College leads the list with a population of 154 students.

Enrollment is a measure of the size of the student body. Larger schools are more likely to offer a wider range of programs and services while smaller schools may have a more intimate and personalized experience.

List of California Public Colleges Ranked by Smallest Enrollment
College	Enrollment
Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley, California	11,920
Glendale Community College Glendale, California	12,075
Ventura College Ventura, California	12,222
California State University East Bay Hayward, California	12,326
Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, California	12,334
Merced College Merced, California	12,472
Los Angeles Trade Technical College Los Angeles, California	12,519
Chabot College Hayward, California	12,842
College of the Desert Palm Desert, California	12,861
Foothill College Los Altos Hills, California	12,949
Irvine Valley College Irvine, California	13,018
San Diego City College San Diego, California	13,242
Antelope Valley Community College District Lancaster, California	13,532
San Bernardino Valley College San Bernardino, California	14,055
San Diego Miramar College San Diego, California	14,257
Grossmont College El Cajon, California	14,440
College of the Sequoias Visalia, California	14,494
Moorpark College Moorpark, California	14,583

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This list is updated annually based on the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Last updated: March 15, 2026

Data source: IPEDS 2025 survey for academic year 2024/2025 - National Center for Education Statistics.