More high schoolers graduating with associate degree already in hand

Sinclair Community College has increased the number of high school students in their version of the program each year since 2015-2016, when 12 students were awarded an associate degree by the end of high school. This year, 69 such students were awarded associate degrees, Sinclair said, and more than 8,100 students were enrolled in the College Credit Plus program for the 2021-2022 school year.

Sinclair Community College spokeswoman Cathy Petersen said the college will continue to increase enrollment in the program.

Edison State’s numbers have yo-yo’d more than at Sinclair and Clark State. In the 2017-18 school year, 41 high school students graduated with associate degrees. That number dropped to 37 in 2018-19, then dropped again to 31 students in 2019-20. It shot back up to 55 students in 2020-21, but only 25 high schoolers earned degrees this school year.

For high school students, the chance to earn college credit can give them a leg up in getting into the workforce after college, or get them further along the path to a bachelor’s degree at a four-year institution, without the debt.

“When a high school student graduates with an associate degree prior to leaving high school, they have earned a credential at no cost to them,” said Naomi Louis, dean for the school of Arts and Sciences at Clark State. “This more easily allows for the pursuit of their dreams at a four-year institution or a two-year institution that offers bachelor’s degrees like Clark State.”

Sinclair Community College hosted a graduation on Wednesday night for this year’s students graduating with both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree from Sinclair. According to Sinclair, 140 school districts in 11 counties currently participate in Sinclair’s CCP program

Kaeli Wesley, who attends Stebbins High School and will graduate this spring, recently attained her associate degree through Sinclair Community College. Wesley said participating in College Credit Plus helped her “tremendously.”

“When it comes to opportunities I’ve been given, this one I am truly blessed to say I have received,” she said.

By the numbers

Statewide enrollment in College Credit Plus

2015-2016: 54,053 students

2016-2017: 68,365

2017-2018: 71,485

2018-2019: 73,152

2019-2020: 76,973

2020-2021: 76,601*

*The Ohio Department of Higher Education attributed this slight decline to COVID-19 and the slight decrease in the number of secondary students in Ohio.

Source: Ohio Department of Higher Education