NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — There's a turnaround at Tennessee's community colleges.
For the first time since the pandemic, enrollment at two-year colleges has increased, according to the Tennessee Board of Regents.
A driving factor in those increased numbers is a large increase, 11 percent, in the number of high school students taking community college courses and earning college credit.
Metro Nashville Public Schools has two schools that take part in the Early College Program, which allows high school students to dual enroll at Nashville State Community College and graduate high school with an associate's degree from Nashville State at the same time.
Glencliff High School will be the third site for the Early College program, starting next fall.
The Board of Regents says high school students make up more than a quarter of the students enrolled in the state's community colleges, driven in part by the state's expansion of free tuition for up to five community college courses, and big discounts for up to 5 more.
