Early College High Schools (ECHS) are open-enrollment high schools that allow students least likely to attend college an opportunity to receive both a high school diploma and either an associate degree or at least 60 credit hours toward a baccalaureate degree. Early College High Schools:

• Enroll Historically underserved students, targeting at-risk and economically disadvantaged 
• Provide dual credit at no cost to students
• Offer rigorous instruction and accelerated courses
• Provide academic and social support services to help students succeed
• Provide students with highly personalized attention
• Increase college readiness
• Partner with Texas institutions of higher education (IHEs) to reduce barriers to college access

The ECHS Blueprint Provides foundational principles and standards for innovative partnerships with colleges and universities. The ECHS Blueprint contains six benchmarks outlining the design elements that each ECHS campus must implement before serving students. Additionally, outcome-based measures in Access, Attainment, and Achievement provide guidance for ECHS program implementation and continuous improvement efforts. 

• 2020-21 ECHS Blueprint (PDF)

Under the authority of Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.908(b) and Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §102.1091, the TEA developed a designation process for Early College High Schools. The designation process ensures that districts and colleges operating ECHS campuses maintain the integrity of the model, which was researched and designed to target and serve students who might not otherwise attend college.

 Products Website for each Early College