Iscrizioni contemporanee Autunno 2024 Numeri

Maggio 20th, 2025 /
Spencer Tuinei /
CTE, Notizie, Liceo Provo, Scuole secondarie, Liceo Timpview

Provo Schools’ Concurrent Enrollment Soars, Saving Students Big and Building College-Ready Skills Record-High Participation in College Courses

This school year, nearly half of all high school students in Provo City School District are earning college credit before graduation. In Fall 2024 alone, over 1,050 students across the district’s two high schools enrolled in Concurrent Enrollment (CE) courses – college classes taught in the high school setting. At Provo High School, 443 students (out of 904 enrolled) took 2,691 credit hours worth of college courses. Timpview High saw even higher engagement: 610 students (out of 1,283) enrolled in CE classes, accounting for roughly 3,705 credit hours of college work. These courses span subjects from Economics 1010 to English 1010, totaling 42 different CE courses at Provo High and 46 at Timpview, taught by dozens of qualified high school instructors who meet adjunct faculty standards.

Check out our break down from the Fall 2024 concurrent enrollment numbers for each school and the combined district totals, including the estimated tuition savings those credits represent:

Provo High School (Fall 2024)

Total student enrollment: 904
Concurrent Enrollment (CE) student head count: 443
College credit hours earned: 2,691
Number of CE courses offered: 42
Number of CE-certified instructors: 38
Estimated tuition savings: $834,834

Timpview High School (Fall 2024)

Total student enrollment: 1,283
Concurrent Enrollment (CE) student head count: 610
College credit hours earned: 3,705
Number of CE courses offered: 46
Number of CE-certified instructors: 39
Estimated tuition savings: $1,149,545

Provo City School District Totals

Combined high school enrollment: 2,187
Total CE student head count: 1,053
Total college credit hours earned: 6,396
Total CE courses offered: 88
Total CE-certified instructors: 77
Estimated total tuition savings: $1,984,379

Nearly 48% of Provo’s high schoolers are now taking advantage of concurrent enrollment. This is on par with Utah’s overall leadership in dual credit: about 53% of Utah’s high school graduates have taken a CE course, a rate well above the national average of ~43%. District administrators note that the upward trend is no accident – it’s the result of supportive policies and passionate teachers.

For students and their families, the financial benefits of concurrent enrollment are impossible to ignore. By earning college credits in high school, Provo’s students saved an estimated $1.98 million in future tuition this semester alone. Those 6,396 credit hours would have cost nearly $2 million if taken at a university – but through Utah’s subsidized CE program, high school students pay only around $5 per credit instead of hundreds. The result: significant tuition relief. This mirrors a statewide trend – in the last full academic year, Utah students earned over 408,000 college credits through concurrent enrollment, resulting in roughly $80 million of tuition savings for Utah families. Lawmakers see this as a strong return on investment; the state’s funding for CE yields a 5-to-1 ROI in terms of tuition dollars saved.

The benefits extend beyond finances. By the time they graduate high school, many Provo students will have completed a full semester or more of college coursework. That means entering college ahead of schedule, often with general education requirements already fulfilled. Juniors and seniors in CE can shave off a semester or even a year of college, allowing them to finish degrees faster or explore double-majors and study abroad opportunities earlier. In fact, Utah’s concurrent enrollment students often earn enough credits to start college as sophomores.

Equally important, CE classes give students a taste of college-level rigor while they still have the support of home and school. Students learn how to juggle college syllabi, deadlines, and expectations before they ever set foot on a university campus. Research indicates this experience pays off: 81% of dual enrollment students go on to college in the year after high school (versus about 70% of students overall), and they complete college credentials at higher rates than those without dual credit. In Utah, data show CE participants are less likely to drop out and more likely to finish a degree compared to their peers. High schoolers, in other words, are building college-ready habits and confidence alongside their college credits.

Provo’s success with concurrent enrollment is a microcosm of a broader movement in Utah. The state has been recognized as a national leader in dual credit participation, thanks in part to strong partnerships between K-12 schools and local colleges. At least 218 high schools across Utah offer concurrent enrollmentcourses, often in partnership with institutions like UVU, Salt Lake Community College, and Utah State. By senior year, over half of Utah students have taken at least one college course – a penetration rate that outstrips most states. This early-college culture didn’t happen overnight. Utah’s CE program dates back decades and enjoys consistent legislative support, making college courses accessible even in rural and underserved communities. As a result, roughly 50,000 Utah students per year are now earning college credit in high school.

Nationally, dual enrollment is on the rise as well. During the 2022–23 academic year, nearly 2.5 million U.S. high school students took at least one college course – that’s about one in five high schoolers across the country. Educators see this as a positive trend for college readiness nationwide. Studies have found that dual enrollment students not only enroll in college at higher rates, but also tend to perform better in college and graduate at higher rates than their peers. Many states are now looking to programs like Utah’s as a model to expand opportunities for their own students.

However, Utah stands out in a critical way: the tuition savings for families. In some states, dual credit courses carry fees or rely on students to travel to college campuses. Utah’s approach – bringing the college curriculum into high schools and charging a token fee – has yielded remarkable savings for families (the nearly $80 million saved in one year statewide is money that parents and students did not have to spend on college tuition).

Behind Provo’s concurrent enrollment boom are our educators with a track record in nurturing collegiate partnerships. High school teachers like Eady and Carter wear two hats – they are hired by the district but must also meet the qualifications of adjunct college professors to teach CE courses. This often means they hold advanced degrees in their subject and undergo vetting by the partner college (in Provo’s case, usually Utah Valley University).

The school district, for its part, has made concurrent enrollment a priority. Counselors actively encourage students to sign up for CE classes that match their interests and college goals. The message is that college isn’t a far-off dream, but a tangible experience students can start now.

As the data from Fall 2024 shows, concurrent enrollment is yielding significant dividends for Provo students. From the raw numbers – over a thousand teens tackling college coursework and nearly two million dollars saved – to the less quantifiable gains in confidence and capability, the impact is clear. Our district embraces concurrent enrollment. Our goal is to help students get ahead.

Educators see it in the small moments: a junior excitedly clutching a college acceptance letter with 15 credits already on her transcript, or a first-generation college student telling a CE teacher that the class “proved I can do college.” Parents, too, feel the difference – some breathe easier knowing that their child’s first college classes are happening in a supportive environment (and at a fraction of the cost). And the community at large benefits from a cohort of young people better prepared for higher education and the workforce.

In a landscape of rising college costs and questions about readiness, Provo’s concurrent enrollment program offers a hopeful narrative: innovative education partnerships can break down barriers between high school and college. As Provo’s students continue to thrive in these courses, our district’s experience might just serve as an example for other states that with opportunity, support, and a little entrepreneurial spirit in education, everyone wins.

Sources: The data on Provo City School District’s concurrent enrollment were provided by Provo High School’s CE coordinator. Statewide and national statistics and research findings are drawn from Utah System of Higher Education reports and national studies on dual enrollment.

Riferimenti

American Association of Community Colleges. (2024, April 12). DataPoints: Dual enrollment and postsecondary outcomes. Retrieved from https://www.aacc.nche.edu/2024/04/12/datapoints-dual-enrollment-and-postsecondary-outcomes/Community College Daily+2AACC+2AACC+2
Community College Daily. (2024, August 28). DataPoints: New data on dual enrollment. Retrieved from https://www.ccdaily.com/2024/08/datapoints-new-data-on-dual-enrollment/Community College Daily
Deseret News. (2024, March 4). What is concurrent enrollment for college credit? Retrieved from https://www.deseret.com/education/2024/03/04/affordable-college-credits-concurrent-enrollment/Deseret News
National Center for Education Statistics. (2024, March 19). A majority of grade 9-12 public schools rate themselves favorably on providing advanced coursework. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/3_19_2024.aspNational Center for Education Statistics
Utah System of Higher Education. (2024, October 15). USHE enrollment grows at degree-granting colleges and universities. Retrieved from https://ushe.edu/ushe-enrollment-2024/Utah System of Higher Education+1CloudFront+1
Utah System of Higher Education. (n.d.). Concurrent enrollment – students saving big on college costs. Retrieved from https://ushe.edu/students-saving-big-on-college-costs-concurrent-enrollment/Utah System of Higher Education
Utah System of Higher Education. (n.d.). Concurrent enrollment not only saves students tuition, but improves college performance. Retrieved from https://ushe.edu/concurrent-enrollment-not-only-saves-students-tuition-but-improves-college-performance/Utah System of Higher Education
Utah System of Higher Education. (n.d.). Concurrent enrollment resources. Retrieved from https://ushe.edu/concurrent-enrollment-resources/
Utah Valley University. (n.d.). Concurrent enrollment. Retrieved from https://www.uvu.edu/concurrent/Utah Valley University
Utah Valley University. (2024). Annual report 2023-24. Retrieved from https://www.uvu.edu/annual-report/docs/uvu_annual-report_2024_accessible.pdf