According to Washington Monthly, the top ten community colleges in America are: Atlanta Technical College in Atlanta, GA; Cascadia Community College in Bothell, WA; Southern University at Shreveport in Shreveport, LA; Southwestern Community College in Sylva, NC; Hazard Community and Technical College in Hazard, NC; North Florida Community College in Madison, FL; Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College in Superior, WN; Southeast Kentucky Comm. & Tech. College in Cumberland, KY; Zane State College in Zanesville and Cambridge, OH; and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, GA.
According to Washington Monthly, these schools are ranked based on how they score in certain areas. For instance, Atlanta Technical College, ranking #1 in the U.S., rates highly in graduate rate, student effort, and collaborative learning, though it scores lower than other schools in areas such as interaction and learning. To view a chart of the top 30 schools in the U.S., see the resources section.
While a list of the top ten community colleges is beneficial to the student making his decision, other factors may contribute to this decision as well. Students desiring to go to community college often seek colleges close to home, and thus location is key. Additionally, not all the highest-rated community colleges cater to the average community-college student. A technical school will most likely rank highly in the mathematics and sciences areas, but not necessarily the arts. It is beneficial to further research schools that are highly ranked in order to find the best program to fit your interests.