Healey-Driscoll Administration Creates 1,400 New Early College Seats for High School Students
18 new partnerships created for 2025-26 school year; Will add more than 3,900 seats by 2030
BOSTON —The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced 18 new Early College partnerships following a vote by the Early College Joint Committee of the Boards of Higher Education and Elementary and Secondary Education. These new Early College partnerships bring the statewide total to 73 and allow 1,400 additional Massachusetts high school students to enroll in Early College programs in the upcoming school year. In total, 69 high schools and 32 higher education institutions will support approximately 10,000 students in the 2025-26 school year.
“Early college is an important and effective tool for making higher education more accessible and affordable for every Massachusetts student,” said Governor Maura Healey. “These new partnerships give more young people the opportunity to earn college credit at no cost while still in high school, setting them on a path to success and helping to close opportunity gaps.”
“We’re excited to see the Early College program reach more communities across Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “This program empowers students with the tools, confidence and experience they need to thrive in higher education and the workforce.”
Early College programs are a key part of the administration’s Reimagining High School initiative, ensuring Massachusetts students are prepared for college or careers when they graduate. These programs allow high school students, especially those underrepresented in higher education, to earn college credits at no cost to them or their families while still in high school.
“We’re seeing firsthand how these programs make a difference and set students up for long-term college success,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “By expanding Early College, we’re making good on our promise to open more doors, remove financial barriers, and ensure our education system works for everyone.”
“Early College is crucial for growing both college access and student success in Massachusetts,” said Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega. “These new early college opportunities allow more students to draw on college experience as they craft and successfully pursue their higher education path.”
Today’s new designations build on the 16 designations the administration made over the last two years, increasing the number of participants by 3,700 since spring 2022-23, a 59 percent increase. The administration awarded $8 million throughout this school year to support schools and higher education institutions as they design new Early College programs and expand existing ones, as well as $11.2 million in credit reimbursement for universities and colleges. The new partnerships approved this week will create up to 3,913 additional seats by 2030, with the goal of providing Early College access to as many as 20,000 Massachusetts students by the end of the decade.
“Early College is a proven, game-changing, educational equity program for Massachusetts high school students,” said Board of Elementary and Secondary Education Chair Katherine Craven. “Our Board, working with the Board of Higher Education, has ambitious plans to grow access to Early College to as many high school students in Massachusetts as possible over the next few years.”
"Early College programs allow our colleges to serve students in high school as soon as they are ready to explore college majors and careers and start earning college credits,” said Board of Higher Education Chair Chris Gabrieli. We have hard evidence that participating in Early College increases the likelihood that students, especially low-income students, will go on to matriculate and persist towards graduation. Along the way, they get greater clarity on their choices of majors and career pathways and they save money and time to earning their degrees. We are committed to scaling Early College so it becomes the ‘new normal.’ We are so proud of and grateful for all of the colleges that lean into this mission in partnership with local high schools and districts"
For more information on Early College programs, visit DESE’s website.
Statements of Support:
UMass President Marty Meehan:
“We are very grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their support of these programs and continued efforts to expand access and affordability to higher education. Early college gives students the knowledge, experience, and confidence they need to thrive in college while also providing them with a financial head-start with the credits they earn at no cost to them or their families. Early college is changing thousands of students’ lives by eliminating barriers to college. Across our UMass campuses, we are working hard to expand opportunities and create innovative paths so more Massachusetts students can access a world-class UMass education.”
Bridgewater State University President Frederick Clark:
“Bridgewater State University strongly supports the expansion of Early College, which strengthens our mission of increasing college access and degree attainment by students from underserved communities who otherwise may not experience the transformational impact of higher education. By accelerating the time to degree and enhancing college affordability, Early College benefits students, families, communities and our state economy.”
North Shore Community College President and Community College Council of Presidents Chair William Heineman:
“I am proud of the extensive work that North Shore Community College has done in our region to boost early college access and have seen first-hand how well early college programs work for students. On behalf of my community college colleagues, I am grateful to the Healey-Driscoll administration for recognizing the impact of early college. We are all excited to watch early college continue to grow.”
Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) Executive Director Mary Bourque:
“Superintendents across the Commonwealth have described the profound impact that Early College has had on their schools and their students, particularly to make higher education more accessible and affordable. M.A.S.S. has been proud to support the continued expansion of this widely successful initiative, and we are grateful that these new partnerships will make a positive difference in the lives of many more college-bound students."
New Early College Partnerships:
Argosy Collegiate Charter School in Fall River and UMass Dartmouth
Attleboro High School and Bristol Community College
Avon High School and Quincy College
Beverly High School and North Shore Community College
Billerica High School and UMass Lowell
B.M.C. Durfee High School (Fall River) and UMass Dartmouth
Brockton High School and Bridgewater State University
Brockton High School and Massasoit Community College
Clinton High School, Mt. Wachusett Community College and Fitchburg State University
David Prouty High Schol (Spencer) and Worcester State University
Duggan Academy (Springfield) and American International College
Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers (Boston) and Bunker Hill Community College
Martha’s Vineyard High School and Middlesex Community College
Methuen High School and UMass Lowell
New Bedford High School and UMass Dartmouth
Pittsfield High School and Berkshire Community College
Tech Boston Academy and UMass Boston
Margarita Muniz Academy (Boston) and UMass Boston
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