In 1915 , '' ' Santa Ana Junior College ' '' opened its doors to 25 students as a department of Santa Ana High School . It was the second community college founded in Orange County , behind Fullerton College , and the fourth oldest in all of California . The 1933 Long Beach earthquake damaged the Santa Ana High School building , prompting the campus move to North Main Street where it remained until 1947 . A bond issue passed in 1945 , paving the way for development of a 48-acre ( 194,000 m ² ) campus at its current location . Santa Ana College plays host to Middle College High School , a small alternative high school in the Santa Ana Unified School District in which students can earn their Associate of Arts degree at the same time as their high school diploma . In the late 1970s the college purchased the properties on Martha Lane south of the original campus and that land is now part of the parking lot . Recent years have witnessed the further development of and annexation of adjacent property to the original location
1933 Long Beach earthquake
1933 Long Beach earthquake
Santa Ana College