The Academies at Penn High School

Early College Academy

Penn’s Early College Academy Class of 2025.

Penn Early College Academy students with their Ivy Tech Associate Degree diplomas.

Penn High School’s Early College Academy started in the 2014-2015 school year and was designed to offer students–who otherwise might not have the support or resources to attend college–the opportunity to earn enough college credits to earn a 2-year Associates Degree while simultaneously earning their high school diploma.

Penn High School partners with Ivy Tech Community College to offer dual credit courses; these courses are taught at Penn High School by credentialed high school teachers.

This allows for students to potentially earn both an Associate’s Degree in General Studies from Ivy Tech and a Penn High School Academic Honors diploma by the time they graduate high school.

For many Early College students, they will be the first members of their family to attend college. Earning a lot of their college credits and the opportunity to earn an Associates Degree in high school is a huge costs savings, which is major hurdle or deterrent in attending college. Click here to watch a video of what this opportunity meant to one Class of 2019 ECA graduate.

The Class of 2025 is the eighth cohort of the Early College Academy. This is the breakdown of what the Class of 2025 ECA graduates have achieved:

  • 94 are graduated with an Associate’s Degree from Ivy Tech Community College
  • $8.1 million in total college savings
  • Indiana College Core – 17
  • HS 15+ college credits – 8

For the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, Penn High School ranked FIRST in the state with the highest number of students earning ICC (Indiana College Core) or AGS (Associate of General Studies) certificates earned! This was just one of the reasons why the IDOE recognized Penn with Excellence in College Readiness Award along with a $250,000 grant!

In April 2019, the Early College Academy was endorsed as an ”Early College” High School by The Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning (CELL) at the University of Indianapolis. In 2022, the Academy Academy as a Level 2 program WITH DISTINCTION. The status marks the quality and effectiveness of Penn’s Early College Academy in its commitment to implementing CELL’s Eight Core Principles of an Early College program. Penn High School is the first and only Early College High School in Indiana to achieve this level of distinction!

 The 8 EC Core Principles (as outlined by CELL) are: 

  1. Targeted Student Population
  2. Curriculum & Plan of Study
  3. College-Going Culture
  4. Rigorous Instruction
  5. Supports for Student Success
  6. Collaboration & Partnerships
  7. Leadership & Staffing
  8. Data Collection, Analysis, and Use

  Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning logo

Penn’s Early College Academy was also chosen to be a UCAN School Mentor. The IDOE’s UCAN program connects established Early College High Schools and urban schools that are seeking to become Early College High Schools. The School Mentors provide the Partner Schools with guidance and support as they work to accelerate their path toward becoming an Early College High School. Through UCAN, Partner Schools will have access to coaching and support for Early College coursework, along with educator professional development, through CELL at no cost.

Penn High School’s Early College Academy was chosen, along with 3 other schools in Indiana, to help the Partner Schools build a model that empowers students to earn postsecondary credits alongside their high school diploma through dual credit opportunities. The Early College High School program, led by the University of Indianapolis’ Center of Excellence in Leadership and Learning (CELL) is providing professional development and operational support to UCAN schools. 

The Early College Academy serves students by providing individualized support and guidance in order to prepare them for post-secondary educational opportunities. Students are identified as potential candidates for this program in middle school, based on specific criteria. Participation in this academy is based largely on invitation only. Students may only select courses in the academy if they are members of the academy at the beginning of their freshman year.