The Science Behind Dual and Concurrent Enrollment

This spring I had the opportunity to peer review a new study from the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Northeast & Islands: The Cost-Effectiveness of Providing Early College Programs in Rhode Island¹. The results were compelling—early college is not only beneficial for students, but also a cost-effective policy choice for states and districts. The evidence shows that students who earn college credit in high school are more likely to graduate, enroll in postsecondary education, and persist toward a degree. For low-income and first-generation students in particular, these programs can be life-changing.

I’ve seen this personally. My oldest daughter attended Colorado Early Colleges Colorado Springs (CECCS), a tuition-free public charter early college high school founded in 2007. CECCS serves over 600 students in grades 6–12, offering a personal and supportive atmosphere with diverse academic and career pathways. Students can graduate with an associate degree, more than 60 college credits, or an industry certification—all tuition-free. My daughter was part of the first sophomore class and graduated with 20 college credits. The experience gave her a real head start, but she also faced challenges: not all of her credits transferred seamlessly, since some were earned through Colorado Technical University. Her story reflects both the promise of these programs and the need for continued coordination between secondary and postsecondary institutions.¹

At the state level, Colorado has embraced early college as a strategy for equity and access. According to the Colorado Department of Higher Education, more than 50,000 high school students in Colorado participate in dual or concurrent enrollment programs each year. That’s nearly 20% of all 9th–12th graders in the state, a remarkable level of engagement.² Nationwide, the impact is even broader. About one-third of U.S. high school students now graduate having taken at least one dual or concurrent enrollment course. In absolute terms, that’s more than 1.5 million students every year earning college credits while still in high school. Participation has nearly doubled over the past decade, underscoring the rapid growth and popularity of these opportunities.³

These programs matter because they open doors. Students from historically underserved backgrounds—those from low-income families, rural areas, and first-generation households—are not just accessing higher education earlier, they’re succeeding once they get there. Early college reduces costs for families, shortens time to degree, and creates stronger college-going pipelines for students who might otherwise see higher education as out of reach.

The expansion and success of early college programs has the potential to revolutionize how we do high school in the United States. Instead of treating high school and college as separate, sequential steps, early college blurs the line—allowing students to graduate not only ready for college, but already well on their way. With continued investment and collaboration, this model could fundamentally transform educational opportunity across the country.

References

Colorado Early Colleges. (n.d.). Colorado Early Colleges Colorado Springs. Retrieved from https://coloradoearlycolleges.org/schools/cec-colorado-springs

Colorado Department of Higher Education. (2023). Annual concurrent enrollment report. Retrieved from https://highered.colorado.gov

National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Dual or concurrent enrollment programs and courses for high school students (NCES 2022-025). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences.

Lazarev, V., Alfonso, M., & Rice, A. (2025). The cost-effectiveness of providing early college programs in Rhode Island (REL 2025–012). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/rel/regions/northeast/pdf/REL_2025012.pdf