School History
Founded in 2003, Challenge Early College is a high school where students are given the unique opportunity to take college classes along with the regular high school curriculum. Housed on the HCCS West Loop campus, with articulated sharing of space and staff, CECHS allows the high school student to gradually integrate into college course work through his or her traditional high school degree plan. One of the major strengths of this school is its size. We personalize your child’s education by supporting the development of meaningful, sustained relationships among teachers and students in a small college bound setting. In study after study of successful small early college high schools, students compare their school to a family rather than a factory and link their academic achievement to their caring relationships with teachers. Like many successful small early college schools, CECHS has smaller classes for students and reduced pupil loads for teachers, so that the young people and the adults in the school are well known to each other. CECHS students function in a college environment and will be guided by adult advocates to develop a sense of responsibility for their own learning through work and life tools acquired in Advisory, and Community Service projects.
The three Rs: “Relationships, Relevance, and Rigor”
CECHS students function in a college environment and will be guided by adult advocates to develop a sense of responsibility for their own learning through work and life tools acquired in Advisory, Student Leadership, and Guidance classes. The high school curriculum is designed with a level of rigor that better prepares students for a successful college career.
What is an Early College?
An early college provides high school-age students a “seamless” pathway from high school to college. Housed on the HCCS campus, with articulated sharing of space and staff, CECHS allows the high school student to gradually integrate into college course work through his or her traditional high school degree plan. This integration requires dual enrollment, with the student having to show mastery of the knowledge and skills necessary for success (TSI or another HCCS designated entrance test).
Students who graduate from CECHS at the end of their Senior year can have not only a Texas Distinguish high school diploma but also will have accumulated up to 60 college credits, transferable to the post-secondary institution of their choice. CECHS will provide strong support to each student and the family in obtaining entrance to, and success in, higher education.
For more information about Early College High Schools, visit the website of the Early College High School Initiative.