This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Subscribe to their newsletters on ckbe.at/newsletters.

By Jason Gonzales/Chalkbeat

Dually enrolled high school students make up nearly half of Colorado’s community college enrollment, according to fall 2024 enrollment data.

enrollment-gains-at-community-colleges-led-by-dual-enrollment-high-school-students

Of the 88,118 students enrolled at the two-year level, more than 39,000 statewide are still in high school, the Colorado Community College System reports. The share of dual registered students increases regularly each year. Nationally, about 1 in 5 community college students are dual enrolled, according to 2022-23 figures.

In light of increases and diversity in the state’s concurrent enrollment system — where high school students enroll in college courses — Colorado lawmakers and other education advocates want more information about the long-term benefits of these programs as well as the overall costs to the state. State. Lawmakers have passed laws that call for studying ways to streamline and improve a system built piecemeal over the years.

In total, high school students accounted for nearly 90% of the increase in community college enrollment this year. Since the pandemic, high school students have become one of the biggest drivers of enrollment at the state’s community colleges.

The numbers were growing even before 2020, amid greater emphasis on exposing students to college-level work, said Sarah Heath, the system’s vice chancellor for academic and student affairs.

“We really focused on the value of high school plus,” Heath said. “It resonated.”

About 3,100 new students enrolled at Colorado community colleges this year, with an increase of 2,770 among high school seniors, according to October figures.

Among students who have gone beyond secondary school, enrollment has increased only slightly. These older adult students traditionally made up the bulk of community college enrollment, but colleges have had a harder time enrolling them since the pandemic.

“We haven’t had a lot of growth” in that segment, Heath said, “except for some online items.”

Nationally, community colleges have performed better than public four-year universities in enrollment, in part because of the number of high school students also enrolled in public two-year colleges.

National figures show a 7% increase in the number of students under 17 dual enrolled this fall compared to last year.

Here’s a closer look at the changing face of Colorado’s two-year colleges:

What do we know (and don’t know) about students?

The majority of high school students take college courses part-time, for fewer than 12 credits. This has led to an increase in the number of part-time students in colleges.

Of the 88,118 community college students enrolled this year, including high school students, only 22,715 enrolled full-time.

Many high school students have likely never set foot on a college campus thanks to the increase in the number of high school teachers certified to teach college-level courses, according to Heath.

By the time students graduate from high school, they have typically earned only a few college credits. Still, state leaders said it helps offset the overall cost of college for them. A state report estimates, using 2020 data, that graduates saved approximately $53 million in tuition through these opportunities.

The new community college enrollment data does not break down numbers for the overall diversity of high school students, but previous reports show that these programs are mostly representative of the state’s ethnic and racial makeup. in the 12th grade. About half of all students in 2021 were white, a quarter were Hispanic and about 3.5% were black.

The report does not include information on how the programs benefit the state’s low-income students, or which students would benefit most financially from these programs.

Where are the dual enrollment students?

Most dual-enrollment high school students live in the Front Range, in urban and suburban communities, although many rural districts have a higher percentage of students participating in programs.

In total, Colorado has 561 cooperative agreements between school districts and two- and four-year colleges. Only two districts in the state do not participate in dual enrollment.

Among two-year colleges, Front Range and Arapahoe community colleges have among the most district partnerships. These colleges serve nearly 25,000 high school students, or approximately 62% of the dual-enrolled student population.

The highest participation rates are in rural districts like Crowley, Edison and Silverton, where more than 70 percent of high school students are dual enrolled.

Who pays for double registration?

In most cases, districts and the state fund the cost of these programs.

Programs like ASCENT, where students attend college in the fifth year of high school but also receive support from their district, now require students to complete the FAFSA in order to be eligible for Pell Grants or federal student aid from low-income backgrounds. . Pell Grants then offset the costs of college borne by the state. This year, the state is expected to spend about $17 million to train about 1,200 ASCENT students.

Most partnerships between community colleges and districts are structured to be cost-neutral, so community colleges only charge for services necessary for dual enrollment, Heath said. But districts must hire staff, teach classes and support students.

Nationally, some question whether these programs are the best use of public funds. For example, education advocates question whether states are simply subsidizing college for students who are already planning to go.

Research shows that in Colorado, fewer dual-enrolled students — about two-thirds of them — end up on a college campus after graduating from high school, compared to most other states. It’s not clear why, but that number drops if students are from low-income backgrounds, according to the Community College Research Center.

What do legislators want to change?

Colorado lawmakers say they recognize the value of dual enrollment, particularly because national research shows these programs can help close the gap in college access. But they also want more information about the state’s many programs.

A state task force called for streamlining what it described as a fragmented early-career and college system built over many years. Colorado offers many programs, but not all districts offer all programs.

Each program has different reporting requirements, making it difficult to measure how programs are performing individually and as a whole. Colorado lawmakers passed a law this year that:

• Directs the state to conduct a comprehensive financial study to analyze how much programs cost the state and districts;
• Compiles long-term data on program outcomes;
• Expands college opportunities for high school students; And
• Seeks to find comprehensive guidance on college and career education.

Jason Gonzales is a reporter who covers higher education and the Colorado legislature. Chalkbeat Colorado partners with Open Campus for higher education coverage. Contact Jason at (email protected).