This spring, the East St Louis School District Class of 2020 celebrated nine seniors who earned their associate’s degrees while graduating from high school. Qualifying students at East St. Louis Senior High School are given the challenging opportunity to participate in the Running Start program during their junior and senior years to take all their courses at Southwestern College (SWIC). These students earn college credits and can even earn their associate’s degree while graduating from high school. The school district began this program in 2015-2016 with eight senior and four junior participants. Four years later, there were 14 participating seniors and 20 participating juniors.
For those students who do not believe the Running Start program is the best fit for them, there are also opportunities to earn dual credit classes at East St. Louis Senior High School and participate in Advanced Placement courses.
