Schools
Worcester Schools Expand Early College Participation As State Adds Seats
Worcester Public Schools has nearly doubled student participation in Early College programs over three years.
WORCESTER, MA — Worcester Public Schools has nearly doubled student participation in Early College programs over three years as Massachusetts prepares for its largest expansion of Early College partnerships.
Massachusetts Education Secretary Stephen Zrike announced Wednesday at Worcester Technical High School that 29 new Early College partnerships have been approved statewide, adding 1,629 seats this fall. The expansion followed a vote by the Early College Joint Committee of the Boards of Higher Education and Elementary and Secondary Education.
Worcester Public Schools increased Early College participation from 714 students in 2023 to 1,362 students in 2026, district officials said.
“The Worcester Public Schools is proud to be a district with one of the largest Early College participation rates in the state, increasing from 714 students in 2023 to 1,362 students in 2026,” Superintendent Brian E. Allen said in a statement. “Early College Worcester reflects everything we believe about what education should do for our students — open doors, build confidence and create real pathways to opportunity.”
Worcester Public Schools is a founding partner of Early College Worcester, a collaboration with Quinsigamond Community College and Worcester State University that has served thousands of district students since 2018.
The program allows students at all seven Worcester high schools to earn free college credits while still in high school. This year, 100 seniors are graduating with 12 or more college credits, giving them the equivalent of a full semester completed before entering college, according to the district.
“Early College Worcester has long served as a model for what is possible when school districts, community colleges and universities work together in service of students,” said Dan St. Louis, director of the WPS Early College Program. “We are proud of what this community has built — and excited for what comes next.”
The Healey administration has said its investment in Early College is showing results. State data showed 66 percent of Early College graduates immediately enroll in higher education after high school, with most enrolling at a public college or university in Massachusetts. Of those students, 87 percent stay in college through a second term and 82 percent return for a second year, according to the administration.
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