PORT TOWNSEND — Peninsula College’s presence in east Jefferson County continues to grow by leaps and bounds.
So much so that new facilities are being sought to handle the growing student population, extension coordinator Deb Johnson said.
Enrollment recently peaked at 640 students, she said Thursday.
For the past seven years, the college has seen a 10 percent increase in students signing up over the year before.
In 1995, there were 74 full-time equivalent students in Jefferson County; today there are 185. Full-time students take 12 credits in a quarter.
“It’s more than doubled in eight years,” Johnson said.
The recent report revealed several characteristics about the Port Townsend extension student body.
About a fifth of the student population is comprised of Running Start students, high school juniors and seniors taking classes for both at the high school and college credits.
Most of the students are taking personal interest courses to improve job skills, particularly on computers.
Evening foreign languages courses are also proving popular.
The expanding base of students has brought new faces to the front of the classrooms, too.
Last year, the college employed 26 instructors in the county. Today, 35 teachers manage nearly 80 classes.
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