Early College Programs for
Acton-Boxborough Students
Early College Opportunities for Acton-Boxborough High School Students
Early college programs are designed to blend elements of high school and college to provide students with the opportunity to experience and complete college-level academic coursework on a clearly articulated pathway and simultaneously gain exposure to a variety of career opportunities. Early college programs also reduce the time and expense of earning a college credential while increasing the likelihood of completion. Please check this page regularly for updates. If you are seeking additional information on the Early College designation process, please reach out to your student's High School counselor.
Option 1: Concurrent Enrollment Programs
Concurrent enrollment courses held at ABRHS are taught by ABRHS teachers, who at all times remain employees of the high school, and the eligible students are limited to ABRHS students. Both the courses and the prospective teachers are vetted and approved by the MCC divisional dean and department chair.
Concurrent enrollment courses held at ABRHS are taught by ABRHS teachers, who at all times remain employees of the high school, and the eligible students are limited to ABRHS students. Both the courses and the prospective teachers are vetted and approved by the MCC divisional dean and department chair.
In 2022-2023, ABRHS offered its first concurrent enrollment course.This course, taught by Mr. Donaldson is now available for all students enrolled in Economics.
Option 2: Dual Enrollment Programs
Dual enrollment programs provide opportunities for high school students to take college-level courses for free or at a discounted price and earn credit toward high school completion and their future college degrees. Dual enrollment options often ease the transition from high school to college, allowing students the opportunity to enter college already having earned course credit. Participating students gain an early college experience with meaningful and challenging academic courses that they might otherwise not have had available to them. In Dual Enrollment programs, students from Acton-Boxborough would enroll in courses offered by cooperating colleges and universities, and would attend those courses on their campus. Those courses would be pre-approved by the High School as being eligible for receiving high school credit and placement on their high school transcript. For more information, students should meet with their school counselor.
Dual Enrollment at Lasell University
We are excited to work with Lasell University to offer Early College courses for ABRHS 11th and 12th graders. Lasell will make these courses available based on enrollment; to run a course, at least 10 students must be enrolled.
The course offerings are taught by Lasell University faculty members and each class offered is a combination of synchronous and asynchronous online work. As soon as we determine student interest in specific course content, we will work with Lasell to confirm availability and modality that works best for our students. A typical course format will require students to meet with their peers and the professor for one class session per week in an interactive, live session through Zoom. The synchronous session will be during after-school hours. Asynchronous work will include assigned readings, videos, writing assignments, group discussion boards, and group projects with their classmates.
Dual Enrollment at Middlesex Community College
Per Middlesex Community College, Dual Enrollment courses at MCC are well suited for high school students who:
Want to take the general education courses that are required by most colleges and universities.
Are seeking enrichment opportunities beyond the classes offered at the high school*.
Are seeking to distinguish themselves in the competitive college application process by demonstrating success in college courses and/or by demonstrating interest in their identified field of study.
Want to save money on college tuition costs. Middlesex offers Massachusetts dual enrollment students a reduced tuition rate.
Important Note: Families should keep in mind that not all post-secondary colleges and universities will accept all credits from concurrent or dual enrollment programs. Families should check with the admissions offices of the schools to which they may apply.
Other Information and Resources
Below is a listing of local opportunities and programs that are available to high school students. They may be programs offered during the school year, and others are summer enrichment programs. Please note that we are sharing these resources for the benefit of our students and families to review. We are not officially partnered with these programs, and these are third-party offerings that are shared with the District and being passed along to members of our community. Though not eligible to appear on the ABRHS transcript, like pre-approved concurrent and dual enrollment courses, many of these opportunities provide their own transcripts which can serve to supplement a student's college application.