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Written by: Jason Gonzales/Chalkbeat

Dual-enrolled high school students are approaching nearly half of enrollment at public universities in Colorado, according to fall 2024 enrollment data.

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Of the 88,118 students enrolled at the two-year level, more than 39,000 students statewide are still in high school, according to a Colorado Community College System report. The share of dual-enrolled students has been increasing steadily each year. Nationally, nearly 1 in 5 community college students are dual-enrolled, according to 2022-23 figures.

In light of increases and diversification 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 their overall costs to the university. situation. Lawmakers passed legislation calling for studying how to streamline and improve a system that was built piecemeal over the years.

Overall, high school students accounted for nearly 90% of enrollment growth at the community college level this year. Since the pandemic, high school students have become the main driver of enrollment at public universities in the state.

Sarah Heath, system vice chancellor for academic and student affairs, said the numbers were climbing even before 2020 in an environment where there was a greater emphasis on exposing students to university-level studies.

“We’re really focused on high school surplus,” Heath said. “That resonated.”

About 3,100 new students enrolled at Colorado community colleges this year, according to October figures, and there was an increase of 2,770 in high school students.

There was only a slight increase in enrollment among students who had completed high school. These older adult students traditionally represented a large share of public college enrollees, but universities have had more trouble enrolling them since the pandemic.

“We haven’t seen much growth in this segment other than some online pieces,” Heath said.

Nationally, community colleges have outperformed public four-year universities in enrollment, due in part to the number of high school students enrolled in two-year public colleges.

National figures show a 7% increase in the number of dually enrolled students under the age of 17 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 or less than 12 credits. This has led to an increase in the number of part-time students at universities.

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

According to Heath, many high school students likely never set foot on a college campus because of the increasing number of high school teachers certified to teach college-level courses.

When students graduate high school, they typically earn only a few college credits. Still, state leaders said it helps offset the overall cost of a college education. Graduates saved nearly $53 million in tuition through these opportunities, according to a state report based on 2020 data.

New public college enrollment data doesn’t reveal numbers on overall high school student diversity, but past reports show these programs are mostly representative of the state’s K-12 ethnic and racial makeup. About half of all students in 2021 were white, a quarter were Hispanic, and about 3.5% were Black.

The report did not include information about how the programs benefit low-income students in the state or the students who would benefit most financially from the programs.

Where do students dual enroll?

Most dual-enrollment high school students live on the Front Range in urban and suburban communities, but many rural areas have higher percentages of students participating in programs.

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

Among two-year colleges, Front Range and Arapahoe community colleges have the highest number of district partnerships. Approximately 25,000 high school students, or approximately 62% of the dual-enrolled student population, are enrolled at these colleges.

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

Who pays for dual registration?

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

Programs like ASCENT, where students attend college during their fifth year of high school but also receive support from their district, now require students to fill out the FAFSA to qualify for Pell grants or federal aid for low-income students. . Pell grants then cover the state’s college expenses. This year, the state is expected to spend approximately $17 million to educate approximately 1,200 ASCENT students.

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

Nationally, some wonder whether these programs are the best use of government funds. For example, education advocates have questioned whether states are simply subsidizing college for students who plan to attend college.

Research shows that fewer dual-enrolled students in Colorado (about two-thirds) attend a college campus after graduating from high school compared to many other states. It’s not entirely clear why, but the number decreases if students come from low-income backgrounds, according to the Community College Research Center.

What do MPs want to change?

Colorado lawmakers say they recognize the value of dual enrollment, especially since national research shows these programs can help eliminate gaps among people who go to college. But they also want more information about the state’s many programs.

A state task force has called for streamlining what it describes as a fragmented early career and college system built over many years. There are many programs in Colorado, but not every region offers every program.

Each program has different reporting requirements; This makes it difficult to measure how programs work individually and as a whole. Colorado lawmakers introduced the following legislation this year:

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

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