What’s the point of early college high school?
Early college high schools enable students to accelerate their education so that they can take real college classes and earn college credit in high school. Early college is different from dual enrollment in that it’s a cohesive program where all the students work toward college classes by their junior year and they are not required to travel to a college to access the classes.
Who are these schools good for?
Early college high schools tend to be intensely rigorous and therefore may not work for all students. But research has found they are especially effective in preparing first-to-college students to experience success in college.
Where are early college high schools?
Though early college high schools are not available everywhere, some states like Texas, New York, and North Carolina have a strong track record of the early college model.
Transforming High School
This video is part of our Transforming High School project with articles, videos, Season 3 of our podcast, and tools to help parents and educators discover new ideas and practices to evolve this 200-year-old institution.
Explore more about Transforming High School
- Watch: What if all students got accommodations? (This video features an early college high school)
- Read: How dual-enrollment can fuel college success
- Read: Explaining academic rigor — and why you want it for your child
- Read: Understanding the power of project-based learning
- Read: How mastery-based pacing helps every student succeed
- Read: The most important class isn’t what you think
- Listen: The problem with high school
- Listen: Podcasts to help rethink high school
Thank you to Principal Paul Covey of Valle Verde Early College High School and Principal Claudia Gomez-Perez of Jimmy Carter Early College High School. Both of these schools won a GreatSchools College Success Award.
