Big Bend Community College was authorized by the Washington State Board of Education in 1961. Beginning fall quarter 1962 BBCC held its first regular classes at night in Moses Lake High School. The college opened classes in a new facility located a short distance southeast of the city of Moses Lake fall quarter 1963. In 1966, BBCC acquired a 159-acre tract of land on the former Larson Air Force Base, which became the permanent college campus for all programs in 1975.
The Washington State Legislature’s Community College Act of 1967 designated Big Bend Community College as District 18 of the state community college system. The district includes Adams and Grant Counties, and the Odessa Consolidated School District