In an innovative effort to expand early access to higher education, Santiago Canyon College has partnered with Santiago Charter Middle School in Orange to offer dual enrollment opportunities to the school’s seventh and eighth graders. Through the Santiago Canyon College Early College Program, students have the opportunity to earn free transferable college credits and get a head start on their academic journeys.

The decision to establish this program at the middle school stemmed from a fortunate combination of timing and opportunity. Two years ago, Santiago Charter administrators Ashley Pedroza and Lauren Salloum attended a dual enrollment professional development program for high school educators.

With a statewide goal to increase the number of high school graduates with 12+ dual enrollment units by 15% by 2030, Pedroza and Salloum thought, why not offer this opportunity to middle school students?

“As Orange County’s first charter school 30 years ago … we are consistently looking at opportunities for students that differentiate our program from other programs” ...READ MORE