Salem High Enters 'Game-Changing Partnership' With Community College

SALEM, MA — Salem High School students will have increased accessibility to early college programs through a state-approved partnership with North Shore Community College starting in 2024.

Superintendent Steve Zrike said the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's Early College Joint Committee approved the partnership designed to create and maintain partnerships between districts and state colleges — aimed at providing more opportunities to first-generation college-goers and multilingual learners.

"This new partnership is a win for Salem High School and their students and families, North Shore Community College, and the future workforce in Salem," state Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler said.

Zrike called the partnership "game-changing" for Salem High students.

"We appreciate the support from the Commonwealth and look forward to the significant impact

that it will have on the students in the Salem Public Schools," Zrike said.

Programs approved for designation will receive funding in FY2024.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)