Folsom Lake College’s El Dorado Center was established in the mid-1960s as a state-funded education center and was located in several portable buildings on El Dorado County land next to the county fairgrounds. Because of the continued enrollment growth at the center, and the keen interest and desire of the citizens of the Greater Placerville area to have a permanent community college center in Placerville, the Los Rios Community College District Board of Trustees authorized the purchase of approximately 19 acres of land from the El Dorado County Board of Education. The site was approved by the California Community Colleges and the State of California for a permanent site in 1988. Construction of the first phase of permanent facilities was completed in the spring of 1994 and opened for classes in August 1994. A physical education building was completed and opened for classes in January 1999. An additional parking lot opened in Fall 2003. A second instructional building that completed the center’s build-out was opened in Spring 2006.The El Dorado Center serves the educational needs of those working and living on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada in El Dorado and adjoining counties. More than 2,500 students attend the El Dorado Center. The facility has state-of-the-art science labs and a fitness center, and has been recognized with a statewide architectural award of excellence. The center offers a full range of transfer and vocational programs as well as student support services. The center is well positioned to meet the educational needs of the area’s growing population.