Early College High Schools

Education beyond high school is rapidly becoming a requirement for entering and advancing in the workplace. Yet many Ohio students never consider college a possibility. Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, families with no history of going to college and homes where English is not the first language may never aim beyond high school.

Early College High Schools are creating new possibilities for students who otherwise might never consider college.


Fast Track: Find out how graduates of Ohio's Early College High School are faring on campus. Ten ECHS graduates tell their stories. »

Schools that blend high school and college

As part of its Early College High Schools initiative (ECHS), KnowledgeWorks Foundation and its partners support a network of nine schools in Ohio. These schools represent a collaboration between local school districts and colleges and often are situated right on campus. Students as young as 14 or 15 divide their days between a demanding high school curriculum and college classes –  where they sit next to high school graduates and do the same work.

In return for this intensive effort, high school students can earn an associate degree or 60 hours – or more – of college credit that can be applied toward a bachelor’s degree.

Building on the concepts of personalized learning and educational rigor, these schools create new models for learning perfectly designed to meet the challenges of a changing world.

Early college works. More than half the students in our Early College High School network are on track to complete 60 hours of college credit before graduation, and ECHS students beat their peers in all subjects of the statewide tests.

As higher education becomes ever more vital for economic success, we are building support and encouraging public policy to sustain and expand early college high schools in Ohio.

Why Early College works

Early College High Schools ensure students succeed in higher education by:

  • Motivating students to pursue higher education.
  • Making higher education more accessible, affordable and attractive by bridging the divide between high school and college in a physical place.
  • Providing guidance and support to students through the first two years of college.
  • Demonstrating new ways of integrating levels of schooling to better serve the intellectual and developmental needs of young people.

 

Early College High Schools

Schools created under the KnowledgeWorks ECHS initiative are:

Akron Early College High School at the University of Akron

Canton Early College High School at Stark State College

Columbus Africentric Early College

Dayton Early College Academy

Design Lab Early College High School (Cleveland) Also here

Lorain County Early College High School (Elyria)

Metro Early College High School (Columbus)

Toledo Early College High School

Youngstown Early College