College and University Blog
School District Proves that College is Possible Despite Economic Hardships
The Hidalgo Independent School District (ISD) in Hidalgo, Texas has raised the bar in terms of college readiness.
Hidalgo ISD, which serves an economically depressed community with one of the lowest number of college-educated adults along the Mexican border, can now serve as an example to school districts across the country.
Beating the Odds: Graduates Earn College Credits
The Hidalgo ISD student body is 99.5 percent Hispanic, 90 percent economically disadvantaged and 53 percent limited English proficient. Despite the odds, over 95 percent of the Class of 2010 graduated with college credits and two-thirds of graduates earned at least one full semester of credit toward a college degree.
Early college high schools are generally part of the Early High School Initiative, which was founded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates. As of 2008 there were over 300 early college high schools in the United States.
The Hidalgo Early College High School was created in 2005 in partnership with University of Texas-Pan American, the University of Texas System, the Communities Foundation of Texas/Texas High School Project, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Early college high school programs give students the opportunity to receive a high school diploma and earn an associate
Melissa Rhone+
Melissa Rhone earned her Bachelor of Music in Education from the University of Tampa. She resides in the Tampa Bay area and enjoys writing about college, pop culture, and epilepsy awareness.