The Progress Report: More San Diego Unified Students Are Taking College Courses Than Ever Before  

Dual enrollment is not a new concept. High schoolers have for years been taking college courses that fulfill undergraduate requirements before they even step foot on a college campus. But the practice has been growing in recent years. 

At San Diego Unified, the number of college courses taken by students has reached an all-time high. In the 2019-20 school year, district students enrolled in 7,691 dual enrollment courses. That number has shot up to 12,659 by this year. That’s a 65 percent increase.  

That growth is also part of a statewide pattern. More and more high schoolers are taking dual enrollment courses across California, and there are lots of reasons to think that’s a good idea.  

Research shows that students who take dual enrollment courses in high school perform better when they enter college, are more likely to complete prerequisites and are more likely to complete degrees. 

But over the long term, officials aim to make sure students aren’t just knocking off some college requirements early. The goal is to set them on a solid path toward a career.  

The Big Picture 

Dual enrollment growth hasn’t happened in a vacuum. California’s legislature, for example, passed a 2016 law that established College and Career Access Pathways programs.  

The law allowed students to take more college classes during high school and allowed community colleges and high schools to more closely coordinate on offerings. It also prioritized offering dual enrollment programs not only to high achieving students but to students who had historically been underserved by such programs, particularly minority students. 

Expanding dual enrollment has also been a priority for Gov. Gavin Newsom. In June, Newsom announced $470 million in funding for the Golden State Pathways program. In part, the program calls for K-12 schools to enroll students in pathways that can lead to well-paying careers in fields like education or healthcare. It also calls for schools to ensure students complete at least 12 college credits via dual enrollment by the time they graduate.  

That goal mimics a portion of California Community College Chancellor Sonya Christian’s Vision 2030 plan for the state’s community college system. That plan calls for students to begin taking dual enrollment courses in ninth grade and complete at least 12 college credits by graduation. 

San Diego Unified 

San Diego Unified has for years enjoyed a tight partnership with the San Diego Community College District. That’s allowed the district to develop dual enrollment agreements with all of San Diego Community College Districts’ campuses. All San Diego Unified high schools have some sort of dual enrollment offering from one of San Diego Community College District’s campuses.  

Currently, many of the classes taken by students at San Diego Unified are simple transfer prerequisite courses like English or communications. But Sarah Vielma, the director of San Diego Unified’s College, Career and Technical Education department, said officials’ focus is building out a more robust pathways program.  

“We want to really be making intentional pathways for students (and) assisting students as they select the pathways they may want to pursue that align to their own goals and interests,” Vielma said. “This is something that students can explore and find courses that then could benefit them, whether they decide to continue in post-secondary or if they decide to earn a certificate.” 

The district has already developed several programs that allow students to work toward things like an emergency medical technician, computer science or biotechnology certification. Even more are on the way. 

But crafting certificate programs and building out dual enrollment offerings can be complicated. Colleges have to ensure classes qualify for transfer credits, high schools have to ensure there’s sufficient student demand to guarantee enrollment benchmarks are met and the two organizations’ academic calendars also don’t line up perfectly, making scheduling a challenge, to name a few.  

“We work very closely with the principals. We work very closely with the counselors,” said Mesa College President Ashanti Hands. “We do outreach at each of those schools so that they’re consistently hearing from our current students who are enrolled. We do parent outreach to the families in the communities as well to make sure that people are aware of the opportunities that we provide.” 

Dual enrollment students also have the benefit of being able to access all of the resources offered by San Diego Community College District schools, whether that be the library or tutors. But those students are able to take college courses at their high school instead of venturing to a sometimes intimidating college campus, Hands said.  

“There’s so many things that this program allows students to do. But it again, provides clarity. It allows students to understand that they are college material and can succeed in those areas. And so it peaks curiosity,” Hands said. 

An Equity Program  

As it stands, the inequities present across public education are replicated in most dual enrollment programs. In particular, Black and Latino students are generally underrepresented. And while the CCAP program was created with students who may not have had college on their radar, they’re not necessarily the primary beneficiaries of dual enrollment programs.  

“Students who know they’re going to college, they’re the first ones to sign up … to take these courses. But we really want to encourage everybody to think about and consider that they have access to these courses,” Vielma said.  

Those disparities are especially unfortunate, because dual enrollment can be a powerful tool to even the playing field, Hands said. After all, dual enrollment gives students the opportunity to complete college courses for free.  

“This really is an equity initiative and opportunity. It’s all for social mobility, economic advancement, to prepare people for the workforce. And so when we can do that with intentionality, with clear paths, I think it is that much more impactful,” she said. 

This isn’t being ignored by San Diego Unified officials. Vielma said the district’s board has called on the program to eliminate those disparities. Specifically, their goal is to ensure Latino and Black students are enrolling in dual enrollment courses at rates proportional to their enrollment at a given school. If other longstanding disparities – whether they be test scores or discipline rates – are any indication, that will be a tall order.  

“It’s village work,” Hands said. “We have to change hearts and minds, and not everybody gets it, and so we have to be relentless and unapologetic about helping people understand what this program is for and how … we can really help to create the conditions for our students, especially our minority students, to succeed, to find and follow their purpose, to build their confidence.”