Pioneer Pacific College began in 1981 as an electronics school in Corvallis, Oregon, named Skilltronics. Founded by Irene and James Childers, the training school was moved to Wilsonville in 1983.Pacific Education Corporation purchased Skilltronics in 1989 and changed the name to Pioneer Pacific College with accreditation coming in 1995.Former Oregon legislator Kelly Clark co-owned the college in the early 1990sIn 1999, the college added a campus in Clackamas and the next year moved the main campus to a larger facility. For the 2001 to 2002 academic year the school granted 108 associates degrees. Pioneer Pacific started a criminal justice program in 2002 that offered an associates degree at its Wilsonville campus.Also in 2002, the school established a campus in Lane County adjacent to the University of Oregon,with the campus relocating the next year to Springfield.Bachelors degrees were added in 2004, first with information technology and then others in 2005. In 2004, the college added the Health Career Institute, followed by a culinary arts program in 2006.For the 2005 to 2006 academic year the school's criminal justice program ranked 41st in the United States for most associates degrees granted in that field. As of 2007, the school had 1,287 students with 250 graduating each year.