Nearly 1,800 Alvin ISD Students Take College Classes Before Grad

Nearly 1,800 Alvin ISD Students Take College Classes Before GraduationMore Alvin ISD students are taking college classes while still in high school. Nearly 1,800 students took part in dual enrollment at Alvin College during the 2025-26 school year, up 20% over the last three years. Alvin College shared these numbers with the Alvin ISD board of trustees at its Nov. 10 meeting. The two have worked together since 1948, when voters approved the junior college district. Since then, students have been able to earn college credit, finish associate degrees and get job training while still in high school, said Alvin College President Robert Exley.The program is producing results. In the last three years, Alvin ISD graduates have earned almost 300 associate degrees and about 30 certificates. Almost 54% of students who graduated from dual enrollment went on to a university to work toward a bachelor's degree. Alvin ISD seniors have also received almost $290,000 in foundation scholarships since 2022.Trustees suggested some new programs for the college, including a bachelor's degree in education, a bigger engineering program and a hotel management degree within culinary arts. Exley said adding programs could be hard because the college has limited space and would need to hire more teachers. Even so, new options are coming. Starting in the 2027-28 school year, the college will offer certificates in welding, HVAC, culinary arts and IT networking. The college also wants students to visit a college campus before they reach middle school, so they can learn about programs and meet professors early.