Early College High School set to begin in January

The Kemper County School District has reached an agreement with East Mississippi Community College to launch an “Early College High School” pilot program for eligible stu- dents within the district. 

This is separate from the current dual enrollment and dual credit 

agreements the two schools currently have, which will remain in place. 

“This gives our students a chance to remain high school students, while also getting a chance to get on a college campus,” said Kemper County Superintendent Hilute Hudson. 

“This is advantageous for the long haul for Kemper County as a whole and for those who are able to get a leg up on the college process itself, as well as the cost savings,” said 

EMCC president Dr. Scott Also- brooks. 

Hudson said that at this point 25 students are in line to take part in the pilot program beginning in January. He said that 15 seniors and 10 juniors will be part of the inaugural class, but also noted that there was a workforce piece to the agreement as well. KCHS would be able to enroll up to 16 students in an electrical pro- gram offered by EMCC. 

In the current dual credit program, Kemper County students can get college credit for the college level 

classes they take at KCHS. Dual Enrollment is taking a college-level course while being enrolled in high school. 

“The students are physically on the college campus and have all the experiences and access of any student on the college campus,” Hudson said of the pilot program that was approved by the school 

board at last week’s board meeting. 

The KCHS students in the “Early College High School” program will be integrated into the regular classes at EMCC and will be studying alongside the other college students at- tending the Scooba cam- pus. At the same time, they are still part of the high school and take part in 

KCHS activities as well. EMCC will receive $165 per credit hour for the students involved in the pro- gram, which the Kemper School District is paying for through a Title IV grant. The school district will pro- vide transportation to and from the Scooba campus for its participating students.