More high school students are taking college courses while simultaneously earning high school and college credits. According to figures released last week, dual enrollment has grown by another 7 percent in the fall of 2024, reaching a total of nearly 2.5 million students, up from 1.5 million in the fall of 2021 and a mere 300,000 in the early 2000s.
In Florida, the trend is particularly pronounced, with 12 percent of all high school students enrolled in college courses. This state-level data reflects the national trend of increasing participation in dual enrollment programs.
A recent analysis by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) at Teachers College, Columbia University, and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, tracked the outcomes of high school students who began taking dual enrollment classes in 2015. Of the 400,000 students in this cohort, over 80 percent enrolled in college immediately after high school, compared to 70 percent of the general high school graduate population.
Furthermore, nearly 30 percent of these dual enrollees, or roughly 117,000 students, completed a bachelor's degree within four years. However, the majority (58 percent) had not earned any college degree or post-secondary credential within this timeframe.
The report also highlights disparities in participation, with only 9 percent of dual enrollment students being Black, compared to 16 percent of the overall high school population. Hispanic students represented 17 percent of dual enrollment participants, despite making up almost a quarter of high school students. In contrast, White students occupied 65 percent of dual enrollment seats, despite being half of the high school population. Asian students were the only demographic group whose participation in dual enrollment matched their share of the student population, at 5 percent each.