Residents of several school districts on the east side of the Seattle metropolitan area created a planning committee in 1957 to explore starting a community college.

[2] Bellevue Community College then opened on January 3, 1966, with classes originally held at what was then Newport Senior High School.

[3] In February 2020, BC unveiled "Never Again Is Now", a mural by artist Erin Shigaki that depicts two Japanese American children who were sent to internment camps during World War II.

The mural's caption included a reference to Bellevue businessman Miller Freeman, a prominent anti-Japanese activist, which was removed by Vice President of Institutional Advancement Gayle Colston Barge.

[4] The change in caption sparked outcry from students and the Asian American community, resulting in Barge being placed on administrative leave.

[7] Locke was the 21st governor of Washington and later served in the Obama Administration as U.S. Secretary of Commerce and as the tenth ambassador to China.

[citation needed] KBCS has since grown to comprise a full-time staff and a large roster of community volunteers; it transitioned from solely broadcasting music to adding news and public affairs beginning in 2009.

It has been published weekly since 1967[18] and covers local news, college issues, and campus life and events[18] The newspaper receives its funding from the BC Services and Activities committee[19] in addition to print and digital advertisements.