Dual enrollment, aka “early college” or “concurrent enrollment” has suddenly become a “thing.”  

This year, 2025, has long been predicted to be the time when higher education reaches the much ballyhooed and dreaded “demographic cliff,” where the number of high school graduates begins a slow, but prolonged, decline. 

Higher education is bracing for that reality. Over the next sixteen years, the number of high school graduates will decline by 13%. If you are an academic, this is a disaster because your job is at risk. If you are a high school student, this is good news because it should result in fewer college grads competing for a shrinking number of well-paying, professional jobs. 

The academics working at community colleges are not going to give up without a fight. They have invented “dual enrollment” to supplement the 2+2 Model and counter the demographics.  

Community colleges, whose enrollment has dropped the most, get students. Meanwhile, high school students rack up college credits in between study hall and gym class, largely on the taxpayer’s dime. 

While earning a diploma, forty percent of dual enrollment students earn an associate’s degree. The Department of Education didn’t even track how many students were taking dual-enrollment courses until last year. It turned out that two and a half million of them are. High school students now make up a fifth of community college enrollment.  

I am a skeptic. The old 2+2 Model performed poorly with fewer than 10% of students earning a bachelor’s degree and scoring a well-paying, professional job. (See note.) In Part II, I am going to deconstruct dual enrollment. 

Note 

Today, there are two candidates with bachelor’s degrees for every available “college” job. 

https://www.iscollegereallytherightchoice.com/22-model-surefire-path-saving-big-bucks-college-not/