Early College High School Curriculum
Windsor Charter Academy has a unique 9-12 Early College Curriculum that allows our high school students to graduate with tuition-free college-level course credit. Students can choose to enroll in high school-level courses, college-level courses, or a mixture of both. Upon graduation from high school, nearly 80% of our students complete at least one college course.
Windsor Charter Academy has a strong partnership with Aims Community College. Starting in 9th grade, students have the option of taking concurrent enrollment classes at our high school. Each year, almost 60% of our students graduate with an associate degree.
This unique program benefits our students and families in many ways:
If a student completes the 2-year program, they can receive an associate degree from Aims Community College. For our families, this is an estimated $60,000 in college tuition savings.
An associate degree is fully transferable to a 4-year institution. All 4-year institutions will recognize an associate degree in full and will not question credit transfers.
Students attend the Aims Community College graduation and walk with their peers. The next week, students walk with their peers at their Windsor Charter Academy graduation. Our graduates are unique in the fact that they attend their college graduation before their high school graduation.
If a student chooses the Early College Curriculum option, here is what they can expect:
Windsor Charter Academy students are concurrently enrolled at our school as well as enrolled at Aims Community College.
Students take both their high school and college courses at Windsor Charter Academy. Students can also take courses at the Aims Community College campus or online during their junior and senior years.
Windsor Charter Academy teachers, who are master’s degree qualified, teach college-level courses at our high school. Our teachers and students use syllabi and textbooks directly from Aims Community College.
Windsor Charter Academy covers all tuition fees and pays for textbooks if the courses are offered on our campus. Parents are responsible for covering a $25 fee from Aims Community College and any fees required for online courses or courses at the Aims campus.
Windsor Charter Academy employs a full-time college advisor, located at our high school, to assist students and parents navigate the enrollment process and course planning towards their degree.
STEM Focus
Windsor Charter Academy is a 1:1 technology school; every student has access to an iPad or a Chromebook. Our high school has a STEM lab, complete with virtual reality (VR) equipment, 3-D printers, green screens, and robots.
As educators prepare students to be global citizens, students must have creative opportunities that utilize technology in their learning. Meaningful technology integration, that enriches student learning, facilitates enthusiasm, high student engagement, and innovative thinking.
Gifted & Talented Program (GATE)
To support Windsor Charter Academy’s vision of growing students that are “educated, empowered, and equipped to reach their highest potential,” all students receive consideration for gifted identification through a gifted screening process. Gifted identification ensures that appropriate programming is utilized to meet the academic needs and post-secondary outcomes of identified students.
To learn more about our Gifted and Talented Program, click here.