In the fall of 1961, Northern Essex opened its doors to 186 students in the then-former Greenleaf Elementary School on Chadwick Street in Bradford, Massachusetts.

The Lawrence campus was expanded with The Dimitry Building in 1991, followed by the Louise Haffner Fournier Education Center in 2005, and NECC Riverwalk in 2010.

Northern Essex Community College offers over 70 associate degrees and certificates, categorized within 14 areas of study: The college has a rural 106-acre Haverhill Campus (100 Elliott Street) which features seven campus buildings including the David Hartleb Technology Center (built in 2005) and the Behrakis One-Stop Student Center.

NECC is home to Parnassus, a nationally recognized award-winning literary arts magazine in publication since 1965.

This paper is run by students and previously was awarded the designation of "College Gold Crown Newspaper" by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.