Early College High School Week Message from Texas Governor Rick Perry

Early College High School Week has received strong praise from Governor Rick Perry whose state of Texas is home to 18 schools involved in the Early College High School Initiative.

JFF, Educate Texas, and Communities Foundation of Texas has partnered to spread the early college model throughout the state, reaching more than 10,000 students.

Early College High School Week has already received the attention of U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. CLICK HERE to watch his special video message to all participants.

Early college high schools and their partners around the country will bring together students, administrators, parents, community leaders, and legislators to celebrate Early College High School Week.

The Early College High School Initiative was launched in 2002. Since then, 210 schools in 24 states have joined to serve 46,000 students each year. They are predominately young people of color. Many are from low-income families, and few of their parents have attended college. Despite these facts, they have achieved remarkable results:

• 92% of students graduate from high school (compared to the national rate of 69%)
• 86% of graduates enroll in college immediately after high school
• 78% of graduates earn at least some college credits
• 37% of graduates earn more than a year of college credits
• 22% of graduates earn 2 years of college credit or an Associate’s degree

Note: Data above is from 2010. For more recent data, see Early College Designs.