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Using National Student Clearinghouse data, this report from the Community College Research Center examines national and state-by-state findings on the postsecondary enrollment and completion outcomes of high school students who began taking dual enrollment college courses in fall 2015, tracked up to four years after high school.
Specifically, the study describes the size and significance of the dual enrollment population for postsecondary institutions and states and compares postsecondary outcomes among dual enrollees to outcomes of other recent high school graduates entering higher education without prior dual enrollment experience.
Among the study’s findings:
- High school dual enrollment is widespread and growing across states; it is especially prevalent at community colleges.
- Dual enrollment students have strong postsecondary outcomes after high school, particularly in some states.
- Low-income, Black, and Hispanic students are underrepresented in dual enrollment and have lower average award completion rates than dual enrollment students overall. However, low-income, Black, and Hispanic dual enrollees’ award completion rates are stronger than that of non-dual enrollees.
- High school students who take dual enrollment courses at a four-year institution do particularly well in college but are not as diverse as other dual enrollment students in terms of race/ethnicity and neighborhood income.
- For community colleges, former dual enrollment students are a strong source of post-high-school enrollments.