The Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD) enrolls over 100,000 credit and non-credit students every semester, making it one of the largest higher education institutions in the State of Texas.

The DCCCD comprises seven colleges located strategically throughout Dallas County. Anyone in Dallas County has only a short drive, bus or train ride to reach the nearest college. More than three decades of growth and progress are a credit to the vision of Dallas area citizens. In May 1965, Dallas County voters created the Dallas County Junior College District and approved a $41.5 million bond issue to finance it. The next year, El Centro College began serving students in downtown Dallas. Eastfield College in Mesquite and Mountain View College in southeast Dallas enrolled their first students in 1970. Richland College opened two years later in north Dallas.

An additional $85 million in bonds supported the DCCCD's expansion, and construction began on three more colleges. Cedar Valley College in Lancaster and North Lake College in Irving opened in 1977, followed by Brookhaven College in Farmers Branch in 1978.

In addition to the colleges, the DCCCD also operates the Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development and the R. Jan LeCroy Center for Educational Telecommunications, both named for former DCCCD chancellors. The Bill J. Priest Institute for Economic Development opened south of downtown Dallas in 1989, serving individuals and businesses of all sizes with training programs customized to meet their needs. The LeCroy Center is one of the largest producers of distance education products in the nation.