Taylor Kilgore has long dreamed of becoming a pediatric physician.
She kick-started her journey as an eighth grader when she decided to attend Fort Worth ISD’s Texas Academy of Biomedical Sciences, an early college high school. Now a senior, Taylor knows she won’t have to spend as much time realizing her dream.
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Thousands of Fort Worth ISD students like Taylor have opted into programs that provide college credit, industry-level credentials, associate degrees and work experience, officials told the school board in December.
“I am so grateful to start early on pursuing my dream of becoming a pediatric physician,” Taylor told trustees.
Nearly 34,000 Fort Worth ISD students are enrolled in 34 career and technical programs — and 97% of them graduate, according to the district.
During the 2022-23 school year, the district had 2,251 students enrolled in its 15 early college high school campuses. All of them met state standards to be considered career, college or military ready, and 3 in 4 graduates earned an associate degree, according to district data.
Programs like early college high school also help students save money, said Lisa Castillo, who leads Fort Worth ISD’s career readiness program. Early college high school and other career readiness programs in the district are free to students.
“All those college credits they’re earning, their textbooks — all of that is zero cost to our families,” Castillo said.
Currently, 25,198 students are enrolled in an advanced academics program, such as dual credit classes and Advanced Placement courses.
In the past year, Fort Worth ISD students earned 25,861 college hours through dual credit classes, courses in which they receive both high school and college credits.
Students earned an additional 9,129 college credits through OnRamps courses, an initiative through the University of Texas at Austin that allows students to earn high school credits and college credits.
A Fort Worth ISD analysis found that students saved almost $2.3 million in tuition by taking a class with college credit.
Trustee Anne Darr noted that many of these programs are possible because of the $750 million bond voters approved in 2017.
“We can’t have programs like this in our schools without community support,” Darr said.
Jacob Sanchez is an enterprise journalist for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
