Mark Garlitos always wanted to spruce up his Santa Clarita Valley home, but he never felt motivated until he received an estimate on a home construction project and was astonished by the high price.

“Maybe I should do it myself,” the Saugus resident recalled thinking. “Most of the cost is in the labor. It’s really not that hard if you know how to do it.”

For the last few months, Garlitos has learned all about masonry as part of one of the newest classes at Golden Oak Adult School in Newhall.

He’s learned how to mix materials, fill walls and lay concrete and bricks from a trained professional.

Garlitos is part of a growing number of students served by the Santa Clarita Valley’s only adult school, which has seen an increasing number of students looking for new skills and short-term training in a down economy.

“We’re continuing to try to provide classes that the community values,” Principal Ron Rudzinski said. “We’re trying to provide classes that will step people into trade or employment areas.”

During the 2009-10 school year, Golden Oak served 2,640 students. That number dropped in 2010-11 to 1,886, but it is growing with an estimated 2,008 students registered this year.

The majority of Golden Oak students are between 25 and 49 years old, school data shows.

Among the newest classes have been certificate programs in masonry and phlebotomy, which have not been offered at the school in recent years.

The adult school offers enrichment classes, such as quilting, along with business, vocational and computer programs.

Outside of the classes, Golden Oak offers prep classes for adults who want to pass their General Educational Development test, considered the equivalent of a high school diploma.

Golden Oak has also increased its Microsoft Excel, Quickbooks and accounting classes following demand from the community, he said.

“As times have gotten economically harder, we’ve seen an increase in the number of people coming back to school,” he said. “People want to improve.”

At the same time, there have been students like Garlitos who are looking to gain more skills to save money and handle more responsibilities.

“I think people are seeing the benefits of a good education,” he said.

tmarashlian@the-signal.com