What are Early College High Schools? The term “early college” or “early college high school” is used in different ways across the country. It can be used to refer to anything from college credit courses offered in high school (also known as dual enrollment) to a whole school where students earn their high school diploma and associate degrees at the same time. In our work, we believe that early college is much more than just college courses in high school—it is really an effort to re-envision the relationship between high school and college. We borrow from definitions created by the National Early College Initiative and state-level efforts to define Early College High Schools.
Early College High Schools:
- Have a goal of providing all their students with a high school diploma and two years of college credit, an associate degree, or a postsecondary technical credential within four to five years of starting high school
- Serve students in grades 9-12 or 13, focusing on the kinds of students for whom the transition to college has historically been challenging
- Provide students with extensive academic and effective support to promote their success
- Implement instructional practices designed to prepare students for education beyond high school
- Provide school staff with ongoing professional development and collaboration
- Represent a strong partnership between high schools and post-secondary institutions
The small, stand-alone ECHS have been implemented at small schools of choice, usually located on college campuses.
Learn more about the impacts of the small, stand-alone model here
