The Early College High School Initiative in the United States allows students to receive a high school diploma and an associate degree, or up to two years of college credit, by taking a mixture of high school and college classes. This differs from dual enrollment, where students are enrolled in a traditional high school and take college classes, whereas early college students take high school classes in preparation for full college workloads. At early colleges, students also have fewer high school classes because some of their college classes replace their high school classes. Early colleges differ from closely related middle colleges. ECHS students spend their school day at college, and go to their home school occasionally for events such as football games, homecoming, and prom.
The ECHS Initiative began in 2002 with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. The first early college in the United States, Bard College at Simon's Rock, was founded in 1966.[1] There are different models of early colleges. Some are small schools located on a college campus, others are programs within comprehensive schools. In 2024, there were more than 1,100 early college programs in the United States.
Fifteen intermediary partners work directly with early college schools, school districts, and postsecondary institutions. They provide start-up and ongoing technical support, guidance, and professional development for their networks of schools.