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Education

Outstanding opportunities for educational enrichment are at the fingertips of Palmdale residents. The city is home to two top-rate elementary school districts, one excellent high school district and a number of exceptional institutions of higher learning for those hoping to continue their education post high school.

Hailing as California’s fourth largest elementary school district and Los Angeles County’s largest with between 22,500-26,000 students, the Palmdale School District affords exemplary education through two-dozen K-6, K-7, K-8 and middle and intermediate school environments. The District is also composed of a dual-immersion magnet school, Los Amigos (K-8); the Palmdale Learning Plaza (K-8), which provides International Baccalaureate and visual and performing arts programs; and two charter schools, the Guidance Charter School and the Antelope Valley Learning Academy.

Palmdale is also served by the Westside Union School District. The District supplies a comprehensive curriculum to 9,100 students in 11 K-8 facilities – six elementary schools (K-6), two middle schools (7-8) and three K-8 schools. Residents can also access Mountain School, a K-8 Home School located at Anaverde Hills Elementary School.

Upon graduation, students will attend either one of three high schools – Palmdale High School, Pete Knight High School or Highland High School (9-12), part of the Antelope Valley Union; High School District. The diverse student population is given a complete curriculum with a focus on school-to-career. The high schools’ programs are designed to fully prepare students for the continuation of education at a college or university or for choosing a path towards one of the many available careers in the area.

Plenty of opportunities for higher learning are available within the Antelope Valley as well. Antelope Valley College in neighboring Lancaster, with a second location in Palmdale on Palmdale Boulevard, is a comprehensive community college offering a wealth of programs for area residents, including 67 associate degree programs and 56 certificate programs. More than 13,000 students attend the college’s Lancaster campus, which, in addition to providing associate degree programs, offers Transfer Education, Vocational and Technical Education, Transitional Education, Workforce Preparation and Economic Development programs and Personal Enrichment and Professional Development programs. The college is also home to the California State University Bakersfield extension program, which affords four-year and graduate degree programs.

The main campus is undergoing a major facelift with several new building projects. Officials from the Antelope Valley plan to expand the capacity in order to serve 20,000-plus students, as well as add a second permanent campus in Palmdale. Learn more by visiting Antelope Valley College’s Web site at www.avc.edu.

In addition to the CSU Bakersfield extension program in the Antelope Valley are further four-year college satellite campuses. Palmdale residents have access to Chapman University, University of La Verne, University of Phoenix and California State University Fresno. Students can also receive bachelor’s and master’s degrees through West Coast Baptist College, a private seminary college situated in Lancaster.

Created for the study of aerospace engineering and design, as well as to address the growing need of a technologically skilled workforce, the AERO Institute near Palmdale City Hall was made possible through a distinct collaboration between the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, the City of Palmdale and the California Space Grant Foundation. Located at the Palmdale Institute of Technology, the AERO Institute promotes Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education at every level. Among the Institute’s vast amount of available programs are college-credit courses in aerospace technology from several higher learning institutions. Students can access California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering; University of California, San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering; California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Pepperdine University, CalTech and the highly-esteemed Purdue University College of Engineering.