Getting a Head Start on College

Our long-running collaboration with Foothill College allows us to offer college-level classes throughout the school year and during the summer. This partnership is one of the most concrete ways we prepare students for success in college: it not only provides them with transferrable college credits, but also with the confidence that comes with knowing they can manage college-level coursework.

The program, which has expanded over the last two decades, now includes nine courses in psychology, statistics, chemistry, English, economics, computer science, and math at Eastside. We selected these classes to fulfill specific general education requirements in college. For example, for students who don’t plan to pursue STEM majors, our Foothill Chemistry class can fulfill their lab science requirement, and allow them to focus on other interests in college. And our senior year English curriculum, English 1a and 1b, can fulfill their freshmen English requirement in college.

On average our students earn 23 college credits through Foothill classes during their time at Eastside, and many earn additional college credits through AP classes. This gives them almost a full year’s worth of credits going into college, which can also give them the flexibility to double major or graduate early. And as the costs of higher education continue to increase, beginning college with these credits decreases the financial burden for our alumni and their families.