According to “Diverse Issues in Higher Education,” students in select areas of North Carolina, such as the city of Sanford, have long been eligible to earn free college credits while still in high school. Today, these early college and dual enrollment opportunities continue expanding across North Carolina and throughout the United States as educators seek innovative ways to improve college readiness while reducing higher education costs.
Created in 2007, eligible students could apply for the “Lee Early College” program (LEC). By engaging in LEC, high school students attended courses at the nearby Central Carolina Community College campus. Inspired in part by former Governor Mike Easley’s educational agenda, the program originally aimed to help students graduate in five years with both a high school diploma and an associate degree, with credits transferable to many four-year institutions.
Today, North Carolina remains one of the leading states for dual enrollment participation and early college partnerships. Programs similar to Lee Early College continue to operate through partnerships between public school districts and community colleges statewide. According to recent reporting from the National Center for Education Statistics, millions of high school students nationwide now participate in dual enrollment opportunities each year, reflecting rapid national growth in these programs.
In the first year of its inception, 73 students were able to take advantage of completely free college courses while earning valuable credits. Growing in popularity, the LEC participation numbers nearly doubled after just one year, resulting in 156 LEC students by 2008. Early funding support included grants from the state of North Carolina and additional private donations from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has historically supported early college initiatives nationwide.
Programs like LEC helped pave the way for broader dual enrollment models that remain popular today. According to Community College Review’s guide to dual enrollment in 2025, dual enrollment allows students to take college-level coursework while still enrolled in high school, accelerating degree completion and reducing long-term tuition costs.
Exceptional Benefits of the LEC Program
Students participating in the LEC program enjoyed free tuition, as well as the ability to graduate early, but the benefits did not stop there. High school students were challenged to meet the expectations of a college curriculum, helping prepare them for future careers or four-year university pathways.
Research in recent years continues to support many of the original goals behind early college programs. According to Community College Review’s analysis of dual enrollment benefits and risks, students participating in dual enrollment programs often demonstrate improved college readiness, stronger academic confidence, and higher rates of postsecondary enrollment.
According to original LEC expectations and guidelines, “When it comes to the college courses, students are simply expected to keep up with the class and its requirements, the same as any other college student. In the high school classes, there are high expectations, an emphasis on problem-solving and public speaking, and zero tolerance for late work.”
Best of all, while college coursework can certainly benefit academically advanced students, many educators also found that students who were bored or overlooked in traditional classrooms often excelled within the LEC structure. As one North Carolina LEC math teacher, John Howard, explained, “A lot of my students are the kinds of kids who were bored in regular school. They don’t think in terms of challenging, they think in terms of interesting, but it turns out to be the same thing.”
With a variety of students participating in LEC courses, many students reported that the experience felt more “relaxed and social” than a traditional high school environment. The smaller cohorts and increased independence allowed participants to bond while adapting to the expectations of a college campus.
As these young students were guided into adulthood with greater expectations, more rigorous coursework, and ongoing teacher support, North Carolina’s LEC participants helped pave the way for innovative education programs that continue influencing schools today.
The Growth of Dual Enrollment Nationwide
The success of programs like Lee Early College reflects a much larger national trend. According to Community College Review’s report on community college enrollment trends in 2025, students taking college-level courses in high school now represent a growing percentage of total community college enrollment nationwide.
Many states now subsidize or fully cover tuition costs for qualified high school students enrolled in dual enrollment programs. These initiatives are designed not only to save families money but also to improve long-term college completion rates and workforce readiness.
In North Carolina, the Career & College Promise initiative continues to allow eligible students to earn transferable college credit tuition-free through partnerships between public schools and community colleges. Similar initiatives exist in dozens of states nationwide.
Why Families Continue Choosing Early College Programs
One of the primary reasons families pursue early college opportunities is affordability. As tuition costs at four-year universities continue to rise, earning transferable college credits during high school can substantially reduce future educational expenses.
Students and parents comparing accelerated education pathways may also benefit from reviewing community college versus dual enrollment options, particularly when considering transfer policies, scheduling flexibility, and long-term degree planning.
Programs like LEC also provide students with exposure to college expectations at an earlier age. Students learn time management, independent study habits, and communication skills that often ease the eventual transition into higher education.
Additionally, students participating in structured early college environments frequently receive stronger advising support than traditional college freshmen. Faculty members, counselors, and program coordinators work closely with students to ensure they remain academically successful while balancing both high school and college responsibilities.
How to Apply for the Community College Program
To apply, students were traditionally required to submit an application, a personal essay sample, and several teacher recommendations. Upon acceptance, students entered the program at the start of their freshman year of high school. As a result, interested parents and students often needed to begin the application process while the student was still in middle school.
Today, admission requirements vary by district and institution, but many early college and dual enrollment programs continue to require minimum grade point averages, counselor approval, placement testing, and parent consent forms.
Families interested in these opportunities may also benefit from reviewing how high school students can earn a community college degree, which outlines the major pathways students can pursue before high school graduation.
Conclusion
Programs like Lee Early College helped demonstrate that high school students can successfully handle college-level expectations when provided with strong academic support and clear educational pathways. What began as a localized initiative in North Carolina has since become part of a much broader national movement toward dual enrollment and early college education.
Today, millions of students across the country are earning college credit before graduating from high school, helping reduce tuition costs, accelerate degree completion, and improve college readiness. As states continue investing in early college partnerships, programs like LEC remain important examples of how community colleges can expand educational access and opportunity for students of all backgrounds.
