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The February 2026 report reveals that dual enrollment has nearly doubled over the past decade, growing from approximately 1.4 million students in 2013 to more than 2.8 million in the 2023-24 academic year. Community colleges enrolled two million of these students, representing 71% of all dual enrollment participants.
"High school students account for more than one in five community college enrollments," the report states, highlighting the significant role dual enrollment now plays in the community college sector.
Dual enrollment, in which high school students take college courses for credit, has become widespread across the nation. Currently, 82% of high schools offer dual enrollment courses, and about one-third of high school students have taken at least one dual enrollment course by graduation, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Among 2019 high school graduates who participated in dual enrollment, career and technical courses were most popular, taken by 44% of dual enrollment students. English courses followed at 37%, social sciences at 31%, and mathematics at 29%.
The report notes that dual enrollment encompasses various models, from intensive early college high schools where students may earn associate degrees by graduation, to more common à la carte models where students take one or more college courses. "The most common model of DE delivery is certified high school instructors teaching courses at the high school," the fact sheet states, with approximately 80% of dual enrollment students taking college courses at their own high schools rather than on college campuses.
Despite dual enrollment's growth and proven benefits, stark equity gaps remain. White students participate in dual enrollment at almost twice the rate of their Black and Hispanic classmates, according to research cited in the report. English learners and students with disabilities are also severely underrepresented in dual enrollment coursework.
