Recognitions

2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence Eligibility - Rising Star

Named a Rising Star by the 2019 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance in America’s community colleges. Palo Alto College was selected from a pool of nearly 1,000 public two-year colleges nationwide to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize and was one of only three first-time finalists for the 2019 award.

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National Council for Marketing and Public Relations Paragon Awards

Earned national gold awards from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations in two categories: Facebook, which was based on content, engagement, and usage of the platform; and Communication Success Story for the 2018 PACfest Media Kit. Also earned a bronze award for Instagram, which was based on content, engagement, and usage of the platform.

Top 50 Veterinary Technician Programs for 2018

The only school in Texas to be named to the Top 50 Veterinary Technician Programs for 2018 by TheBestColleges.org. The program, which launched in 1995, has been accredited by the Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities of the American Veterinary Medical Association since 1998 and is one of only five programs fully accredited in the state of Texas.

2018 Best Colleges in Texas

Named as one of the top three community colleges on the 2018 Best Colleges in Texas by BestColleges.com. The rankings are based on key performance indicators including acceptance, retention, graduation, enrollment rates and loan default percentages as a measure of graduates’ success. This is the first year that four of the colleges within the Alamo Colleges District are included in this ranking.

Top 10 Community Colleges by Hispanic Outlook Magazine

Ranked sixth by Hispanic Outlook Magazine list of Top 10 Community Colleges with Highest Percentage of Associate Degree Earners who are Hispanic. The list was based on various factors including information supplied by the U.S. Department of Education, such as percentage of Hispanics in attendance, total student enrollment, two-year schools awarding the most associate degrees to Hispanic students, and percentage of Hispanic students awarded associate degrees by two-year schools.

2017 Examples of Excelencia 

Catch the Next, Inc. Dream Catchers Program (CTN) is named a finalist for the 2017 Examples of Excelencia award from Excelencia in Education, a national organization that focuses on Latino student success in higher education. Palo Alto College is the only CTN affiliate in San Antonio, in partnership with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, to increase the retention and completion rates of underserved students to close the achievement gap for Latino students.

National Council for Marketing and Public Relations Gold Paragon Award

Earned national gold award from the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations in Communication Success story for “Melanie and Rene”, a granddaughter and grandfather attending Alamo Colleges District-Palo Alto College at the same time. The story earned national and international media coverage, including major outlets like Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, ABC News, Inside Edition, HLN network’s MichaeLA, and more.

Best of TEXAAN

Palo Alto College’s Veterans Affairs team received the Best of TEXAAN (Texas Academic Advising Network) at the TEXAAN 24th Annual Conference for their presentation titled "Veterans 101: VA Educational Benefits and the Texas Hazlewood Exemption."

2016-2017 Highest Rated Junior and Community Colleges

Named the only college in region to earn a national ranking from RateMyProfessors.com, the largest online destination for professor ratings for colleges and universities. On the recently published 2016-2017 Highest Rated Junior and Community Colleges list, Palo Alto College ranks first in the city among all junior and community colleges, top three in Texas, and top 15 on the national list.

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Finalist

Alamo Colleges District-Palo Alto College is named one of 15 organizations in the nation to earn a Site Visit Review in Fall 2016 from the judging panel for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA), the nation’s highest award for organizational performance excellence. Palo Alto College is the only educational organization selected to receive a site visit for the 2016 award.

Texas Award for Performance Excellence

Received the Texas Award for Performance Excellence by the Quality Texas Foundation, which recognizes organizational efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability. Palo Alto College, one of three organizations in the state to receive the award, is the only educational organization to win the award since 2011 and the first in higher education to win since 2007.

Childcare center earns national accreditation

Ray Ellison Family Center earns a renewed five-year accreditation by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. The Center earned its first accreditation in 2010.

Legend of the Southside

Named a Legend by the South San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Each year, the annual Legends Gala honors the contributions and commitments of individuals and organizations that have facilitated growth, community and general betterment of the South Side.