Laurel Ridge tops Virginia for high schoolers earning degrees

~ Press release provided by Laurel Ridge Community College

MIDDLETOWN, Dec. 19 — When it comes to the number of young people earning a college credential before picking up their high school diploma, Laurel Ridge leads the 23 community colleges that make up the Virginia Community College System.

Of the 3,737 seniors graduating from high schools in the Laurel Ridge service region in 2024, 268 – around 7 percent – earned at least one credential from Laurel Ridge prior to graduation, including 120 earning an associate degree. Heather Burton, the college’s interim dean of Early College and High School Partnerships, said, that, statewide, the percentage is less than 1 percent.

Another credential students can earn is a uniform certificate in general studies, meaning they have earned 31 credits, the equivalent of their first year of college. The college awarded 220 uniform certificates in general studies. An additional 83 career studies certificates were also earned by high school students in 2024.

Students earn college credits by taking the courses on campus, online or at their home high school with a teacher credentialed in providing college-level instruction.

“Earning the credential makes them incredibly competitive,” Burton said. “It’s a lot of work. Some of these students are doing sports, they’re involved in clubs, they work, they’re taking all these classes. The students who do this are driven. Bravo to everyone at the college and our local school partnerships for helping this be a successful year for those students.”

Burton, who works with more than 3,000 students, including homeschooled ones, said students who earn an associate degree while still in high school and then go on to a four-year university differ from non-dual enrollment Laurel Ridge students who transfer to a university. The dual-enrollment students transfer in as freshmen, but some will have sophomore or junior academic status when they arrive, said Burton.

This year, the college has begun doing orientation sessions so students can feel welcome and understand the expectations Laurel Ridge has for them, as well as the resources it can offer them. The orientations are via Zoom and vary depending on if the student will be taking dual-enrollment classes at their high school, on one of the college’s campuses, or online.

“We also have a parent orientation,” said Burton. “It’s really to provide them with the resources to help their child navigate college. We want parents to feel like they can help their child and to let them know we’re a partner with them in this transition.”

Burton herself was a dual-enrollment student when she attended Strasburg High School. She enjoyed her classes so much, she continued at Laurel Ridge after her high school graduation, earning her associate degree in science.

By taking dual-enrollment classes at their high school, students and their families get an even greater cost savings over students taking non-dual-enrollment classes through Laurel Ridge, which, in turn, is already a tremendous cost savings over a four-year university.

“Those credentialed teachers in the high school leading dual-enrollment classes are amazing,” Burton said. “Sometimes they don’t get the level of thank you and respect they really deserve.”

Many of the students who earn a credential while still in high school attend one of the two governor’s schools affiliated with Laurel Ridge – Massanutten Regional Governor’s School in Shenandoah County and Mountain Vista Governor’s School (MVGS), which is on both the Fauquier and Middletown campuses.

Angel Alvarado was one such student. He graduated in 2023 with his associate degree. Alvarado, who attended the MVGS on the Fauquier Campus, is now a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy.

“I thought it was wonderful,” he said of his dual-enrollment classes. “The teachers were amazing, very supportive, and with the small classes, they were able to help you so much more with one-on-one teaching time. The classes were a lot more challenging than regular high school classes. That’s kind of what I needed, and set me up better for what I would be looking at when attending a four-year college.”

Every high school in the region has a Laurel Ridge career coach.

“They are phenomenal,” Burton said of the career coaches. “They help students with career exploration. They help students with college exploration. A lot of students have no idea what they want to do, but after they meet with the career coach, they have ideas. Career coaches give students some exposure to different careers out there and universities that they’ve never heard of.”

Warren County High School graduate Joseph Martin’s career coach, Brigitte Grimm, inspired him to join the Corps of Cadets at Virginia Tech. He is studying civil engineering, which is normally a five-year program. However, Martin earned 36 hours of college credits through dual enrollment.

“I’m very, very fortunate and happy that I got the dual-enrolled credits,” he said. “Ordinarily, I would have had to do five years to complete my degree. Since I had those credits, I’m on a four-year track.”

His dual-enrollment classes were rigorous, which Martin now appreciates.

“The classes were challenging, especially when it came to my biology class,” he explained. “That class was really something. At the time, I thought it was really hard. Now I see it as a regular college class. It really prepared me for college.”

Individual Awards (423) Earned by Dual Enrollment Students in the Laurel Ridge Community College Service Region, including UCGS certificates (220), associate degrees (120), and Career Studies Certificates (83):

FREDERICK — 144 total; 72 UCGS certificates; 42 associate degrees; 30 Career Studies Certificates.
SHENANDOAH — 69 total; 42 UCGS certificates; 18 associate degrees; 9 Career Studies Certificates.
WARREN — 59 total; 31 UCGS certificates; 18 associate degrees; 10 Career Studies Certificates.
FAUQUIER — 52 total; 24 associate degrees; 16 UCGS certificates; 12 Career Studies Certificates.
PAGE — 46 total; 39 UCGS certificates; 7 associate degrees.
WINCHESTER — 17 total; 6 Career Studies Certificates; 7 associate degrees; 5 UCGS certificates.
CLARKE — 15 total; 8 Career Studies Certificates; 5 UCGS certificates; 2 associate degrees.
RAPPAHANNOCK — 14 total; 8 Career Studies Certificates; 5 UCGS certificates; 2 associate degrees.