Snead State Community College has a rich tradition of excellence in education. Snead State is the oldest College in the Alabama Community College System to award Associate degrees.
The school originated in 1898, when the Boaz Seminary was authorized by the Methodist Episcopal Church. The E.B.L. Elder family arrived in Boaz in June of 1899 and opened the seminary in their home in July of that year with an enrollment of 70 pupils.
The Boaz Seminary grew rapidly, and in 1906 its name was changed to John H. Snead Seminary in honor of Mr. Snead, a Boaz businessman and friend of education, who contributed land, money, and leadership to the Seminary. John H. Snead Seminary remained one of Alabama’s strong secondary schools for almost a fourth of a century and graduated more than 1,200 young men and women.
In the fall of 1935, Snead Junior College was duly chartered by the State of Alabama and began operation as a junior college under the supervision of the North Alabama Conference of the Methodist Church. Snead Junior College was accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1941.
In 1967, the College became part of the Alabama two-year college system under the control of the Alabama State Board of Education. The name was changed to Snead State Junior College.
In May 1992, the State Board of Education authorized Snead State Junior College to become Snead State Community College.
In 2015, the College’s state governing system changed to the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees.
The College has an average enrollment of 2,300 students. The main campus in Boaz consists of approximately 45 acres of land and 19 buildings. The College also has an instructional site located in Arab and the Aviation College located in Albertville.