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Jeff Kornegay with Bladen Community College addressed the members of the Elizabethtown-White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce and unveiled the plans for Bladen Early College High School. He told those gathered Bladen County has received the letter of approval for a cooperative innovative high school commonly referred to as early college.

Cumberland County has two early colleges and they are trying to gain approval for a third early college. 2016 fall enrollment 130 college transfer 86 for Career Technical Pathways which makes up 19 to 20 percent of overall enrollment at the college, said Kornegay. “Our high school programs have grown,” said Kornegay.

Kornegay said last year, one student graduated with both a diploma and an associate’s degree from Bladen Community College. This year, 19 students will graduate with both a high school diploma and an associates degree.

“Early College is a program whereby students can earn tuition free college credit as a high school student by attending a a cooperative innovative high school-early college. It is usually established jointly with a community college or university with a local educational entity,” said Kornegay.

He said each school can register no more than 100 students per grade level but Kornegay added Bladen County has set their enrollment at 60 students per grade level. He said the entire school potentially could see a total of 200 students enrolled.

Kornegay said each early college is located on the campus of a community college or university. Currently, there are 109 early colleges in the state. Of those, 95 are partnered with community colleges, 9 are partnered with UNC institutions and 5 are partnered with independent universities.

He said 84 early colleges are supported with funds allocated by the state legislature and 74 with community colleges. There were 13 early colleges approved this year and Bladen County is one of those.

“We don’t want the early college just because everyone else around us has it. That’s not the right reason for having the early college. We want the early college because it works,” said Kornegay.

Kornegay said currently there are 21,272 students enrolled in early college in North Carolina. He said early college has a 95 percent completion rate in North Carolina. Kornegay said that is why early college is needed in Bladen County. Statewide the completion rate for freshmen high school students is between 60 to 65 percent, according to Kornegay.

He added that 92 percent of high school students who enter early college graduate from high school and 86 percent go on to enroll in college or universities upon completing early college. Kornegay said 91 percent of early college students earn college transfer credits and 70 percent of early college students are students of color.

Who can enroll? Kornegay said students who are at risk of dropping out, first generation college students, and high school students who would benefit from accelerated academic instruction.

Priorities for the early college program will be the Associate of applied Science Pathway, Industrial Systems Technology Machining Pathway, Allied Health Career Pathway, and the Information Technology Pathway.