Learn more about Early College High School Week 2012
Students in early college high schools graduate with both a high school diploma and two years of transferable college credit or an associate's degree. In most cases, early college students stay in high school five years to complete those college courses. Located on the campuses of two- and four-year colleges and universities, early college high schools are intended to attract students who often are under-represented in college: minorities, students from low-income families and those whose parents never attended college.
North Carolina leaders launched the early college high school initiative in 2004 as a way to encourage more students to complete high school and to gain the advanced skills increasingly demanded in the 21st century workplace. Early college high schools support students through what effectively become their first two years of college â?? typically the most vulnerable period for students from low-income families. Because students earn two years of college credit without paying tuition, early colleges also lift the financial barrier students and families often face when considering college.
North Carolina is now a national leader in developing early colleges. Since 2005, the number of early college high schools in North Carolina has increased more than fivefold, from 13 to 70. Nationally, about 200 early college high schools are open in 24 states. Through a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation and funding from the General Assembly, students in seven early college high schools work with one-to-one access to laptop computers. The pilot is the leading edge of North Carolina's effort to bring the power of technology to bear in improving teaching and learning.
Learn more about the national Early College High School Initiative.
The following institutions of higher education partner with NCNSP's early colleges:
Asheville-Buncombe Tech Community College
Beaufort County Community College
Bennett College
Blue Ridge Community College
Brunswick Community College
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute
Cape Fear Community College
Catawba Valley Community College
Central Carolina Community College
Cleveland Community College
College of the Albermarle
Craven Community College
Davidson County Community College
Edgecombe Community College
Fayetteville State University
Forsyth Technical Community College
Guilford Technical Community College
Halifax Community College
Haywood Community College
Isothermal Community College
James Sprunt Community College
Johnston Community College
Lenoir Community College
Martin Community College
Mayland Community College
McDowell Technical Community College
Mitchell Community College
Nash Community College
NC A&T State University
NC Central University
NC State University
Pitt Community College
Randolph Community College
Richmond Community College
Roanoke-Chowan Community College
Robeson Community College
Rockingham Community College
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College
Sampson Community College
Sandhills Community College
South Piedmont Community College
Southeastern Community College
Southwestern Community College
Stanly Community College
Surry Community College
Tri-County Community College
University of North Carolina at Greensboro iSchool
University of North Carolina at Wilmington
Vance Granville Community College
Wake Technical Community College
Wayne Community College
Wilkes Community College
Wilson Community College
