0 As a personal anecdote: Community college where I grew up was basically an extended high school. The quality of everything from the instructors to the stude

0 As a personal anecdote: Community college where I grew up was basically an extended high school. The quality of everything from the instructors to the students to the material being taught was extraordinarily sub-par compared to the college I went to (admittedly, a top 10 CS school). Perhaps it was lower quality than even the high school I went to. I know because I took a couple of community college courses in high school (and over college summers) for some easy college credit to transfer out to my 4-yr university. There were a few shining stars who had no other option but to go to community college (they would later transfer out). However, the vast majority were people who were largely uninterested in learning but knew enough to know that they need more credentials than "high school graduate" to have a shot at a career. It's unfortunate but that was the reality in my hometown.