Early college programs expanded for more Massachusetts high school students
BOSTON - More Massachusetts high school students will soon be able to get a head start on earning college credits.
Gov. Maura Healey's administration said this week it is awarding $8 million in grants to expand early college programs that let high school students take college classes for free.
About 9,000 students are currently taking advantage of early college programs. The new funding is expected to benefit an additional 2,300 young people.
"Early College programs are great for our students and great for our economy," Healey said in a statement. "They allow students to get college credit while they're still in high school at no cost, making it more affordable for them to get their degree and preparing them to succeed in their careers."
Focus on underrepresented students
The administration says the latest investment is aimed at getting students from rural towns and gateway cities involved in early college programs. Most high school seniors participating in the program are Black or Latino students, groups that are historically underrepresented in higher education.
"Early college participation increases college enrollment for all racial groups, but makes the biggest difference for Latino students who historically have been the least likely to matriculate to college," the administration said.
Which high schools are getting early college grants?
Fifty-five high schools that already have early college programs are getting between $50,000 to $125,000 to continue their work. A list of those programs can be found here.
Below we've listed the high schools, school districts and colleges receiving new grants for early college programs, via the Healey administration. "Capacity" grants help with staffing, recruitment and professional development for existing early college programs, while planning grants allow high schools and college partners to design an early college program.
Early College Capacity Grant Awardees, received $60,000 each:
Argosy Collegiate Charter School (Fall River)
Bard College at Simon's Rock (Great Barrington)
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (Boston)
Bridgewater State University
Bunker Hill Community College
Framingham State University
Middlesex Community College
New Heights Charter School of Brockton
North Shore Community College
Northern Essex Community College
Quincy Public Schools
Revere Public Schools
Salem State University
Springfield Public Schools
Springfield Technical Community College
UMass Boston
Waltham Public Schools
Westfield Public Schools
Early College Planning Grant Awardees:
Randolph High School and Bridgewater State University: $150,000
Billerica Public Schools and UMass Commonwealth Collegiate Academy (CCA): $100,000
Brockton Public Schools and UMass CCA: $100,000
CityLab Innovation High School (Revere) and Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (Boston): $100,000
Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann Charter Public School (Boston) and Bunker Hill Community College: $100,000
B.M.C. Durfee High School (Fall River) and UMass CCA: $100,000
Greater Lowell Technical High School and UMass CCA: $100,000
Margarita Muñiz Academy (Boston) and UMass Boston: $100,000
TechBoston Academy and UMass Boston: $100,000
Taunton Public Schools and UMass CCA: $94,068
Argosy Collegiate Charter School (Fall River) and UMass CCA: $93,528
Methuen High School and UMass Lowell CCA: $90,789
Woburn High School and UMass CCA: $69,448
Dracut Public Schools and UMass CCA: $68,908
Putnam High School (Springfield) and Westfield State University: $51,711
Springfield High School of Science and Technology and Westfield State University: $51,514
Granby, Easthampton and Hadley public school districts and UMass CCA: $51,445
The Springfield Renaissance School and UMass CCA: $51,442
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School and Middlesex Community College: $50,000
New Bedford High School and UMass CCA: $50,000
Pittsfield High School and Berkshire Community College: $50,000
Shawsheen Valley Technical High School (Billerica) and Middlesex Community College: $50,000
Taconic High School (Pittsfield) and Berkshire Community College: $50,000
Albert D. Holland High School of Technology (Boston) and UMass Boston: $50,000
Bourne High School and Massachusetts Maritime Academy: $50,000
Early College Multilingual Program (Boston) and Roxbury Community College: $50,000
Wachusett Regional High School and Worcester State University: $50,000
Mansfield High School and Bristol Community College: $50,000
Oliver Ames High School (Easton) and Bristol Community College/Quincy College: $50,000
David Prouty High School (Spencer) and Worcester State University: $40,400
Chelmsford High School and Middlesex Community College: $26,300
Putnam Vocational Technical Academy and UMass Amherst: $26,262