Early College High School

Early College High School (ECHS) is a dual enrollment high school that serves Newport-Mesa Unified School District. All students who attend ECHS are full-time high school students who are taking a blend of high school college preparatory classes along with onsite college courses taught by Coastline College. Students have the opportunity to earn their IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum) Certificate and up to two years of free college units that coulld lead to at least one associate degree.

ECHS is located in the Mesa Verde neighborhood within Costa Mesa. ECHS students are residents of both Costa Mesa (90%) and Newport Beach (10%). ECHS is very much supported by the community as the PTSA (Parent Teacher Student Association) is very engaged with promoting family involvement at school activities held both during the school hours and at evening/weekend events. ECHS also has several community partners who serve as outside resources for the students and their families at no cost.

ECHS has an application process for interested students in the 8th grade. Their window to apply is early October through the first Friday of May. Current high school students can apply to ECHS to be considered for transfer at any time, but must be on track to graduate and aspiring to be a-g eligible upon graduation.

Counseling, Mental Health, Academic Intervention.

ECHS uses the main parking lot daily. There is a back lot that is only opened when ECHS is hosting events that require extra parking needs.

Enhancing college and career readiness through rigorous and relevant learning experiences and meaningful, supportive relationships.

Early College High School was founded on the principles of facilitating Rigor, Relevance and Relationships as vital components of the educational experience for our students.

Rigor - Offering students a challenging, yet focused and accessible, curriculum that promotes critical thinking as well as content knowledge.

Relevance - Providing students with interesting learning experiences that are applicable to their personal life, or are connected to real-world contexts.

Relationships - The positive connections between students, their peers, teachers and school staff that create a safe learning environment of trust and support.

ECHS does not provide any summer sessions. However, ECHS students do have access to Coastline College courses during their summer session as a way to earn more free college units before graduating from ECHS.

The foundation of Newport-Mesa Unified School District ECHS began with the Early College High School Initiative. ECHS was created on the premise that more students, particularly low-income and minority students, could have improved outcomes by combining high school and college in a supportive environment that enables struggling students to experience rigorous coursework and graduate high school with college credit and the tools for postsecondary success. The school opened in 2006, based on the principle that academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money, is a powerful motivator for students to work hard to meet serious intellectual challenges. ECHS blends high school and college in a rigorous yet supportive program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and up to 2 years of college coursework.

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