Reedley College was founded in May 1926, as Reedley Junior College on the campus of Reedley High School. It became a full community college on July 1, 1946. In 1954, the school district voted to move Reedley College to its own campus and in 1956 it moved to its present location on of what was once a part of the historic Thomas Law Reed Ranch, remain used as farmland. In 1963 the college joined the SCCCD and was renamed Kings River Community College in 1980. However, by popular demand, the name Reedley College was restored in July 1998.
College Centers
Reedley College has two college centers, Madera Community College Center and Oakhurst Community College Center. The Madera Community College Center is located in Madera, California on of donated land. It was originally opened at its current site in 1996 and has slowly continued to expand since. The newest addition to the campus was the construction of the. academic village which houses state of the art computer and science labs as well as additional classroom and office space. Future expansion projects are being planned. The campus currently offers some associate degree majors as well as general education courses transferable to four-year universities. The Oakhurst Community College Center is located in Oakhurst, California and opened at its current location in 1996 on of land. The center is housed in four buildings adjacent to the town's library. Clovis Community College, formerly known as the Willow International Center, was a Reedley College Center until July 1, 2015, when it became a separate campus of the State Center Community College District.
Housing
Reedley College is one of the only community colleges in the state of California to house students on campus. Sequoia Hall houses 40 women and 100 men. Sequoia Hall is located on the southern corner of the campus. One wing is for women and the other wing is for men. Construction of a new Sequoia Hall to replace the original aging facility started during the summer of 2008 and was completed in spring of 2010. The original building was razed.
Athletics
The Reedley College Athletic Department fields teams in 12 intercollegiate sports with five men's teams and seven women's teams. The Tigers are a member of the Central Valley Conference in all sports except for football, which is a member of the Northern California Football Alliance. The Reedley College football team won the Northern California Football Championship, the COA State Championship, and finished #1 in the nation in 2002 with a 12-0 record. The women's basketball team has been to the COA Final 16 more than 4 of the last 10 years. The women's tennis team has become a state power with an undefeated conference record since 2007 and various championship titles in recent years. Tiger athletes have gone on to four-year colleges such as Cal, Texas Tech, Fresno State, Oregon, Boise State, Minnesota, Texas State, and Michigan State, to name a few.