Nationally, 82 percent of high schools offer dual enrollment, and about one-third of students take at least one dual enrollment course by graduation. Program participation has nearly doubled from 2013 to 2023. However, the national data infrastructure has not kept up to better understand who is participating, what courses are taken, and how dual enrollment impacts education and workforce outcomes.
This report from Jobs for the Future examines the federal data systems currently used to measure dual enrollment participation, highlights where important information is missing, and presents policy options to strengthen national reporting. Improved data collection can help policymakers better understand who is being served, assess program quality, and evaluate the impact of dual enrollment on students’ educational and career outcomes.