Innovative education leaders are embracing diverse routes to rigor that empower students to pursue college, career and life readiness.
Are recent high school graduates truly prepared for college? It’s difficult to find data that answers in the affirmative.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, nearly a quarter of new students leave college after their first year. More than 2.1 million undergraduates dropped out of higher education between January 2022 and July 2023. Roughly a third of college students take at least one remedial course, and only six in ten students (61.1%) earn a degree within six years.
New data suggests that worse outcomes lie ahead. ACT scores hit a three-decade low in 2023 and declined again last year, while SAT scores have fallen 36 points over the past three years. Generation Z doesn’t have to read news headlines to know where they stand. A report published this summer by Jobs for the Future, Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation found that fewer than 30% of high school students believe they’re “very prepared” to pursue college, a career or any other postsecondary pathway.
The word “crisis” is not too strong. Millions of Americans are investing their time and money in degrees that they take longer to finish—or never finish at all. In response, a growing number of school districts are expanding and diversifying their advanced academic offerings to better prepare students for success in college and career. Increasingly, high schools are engaging a broader range of learners by widening access to rigorous college-level opportunities such as dual enrollment, Cambridge International (Cambridge), Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and career and technical education (CTE) pathways.
At the same time, more states are adopting policies that award academic credit and scholarships to students who complete these programs, empower them to choose their own path to college, get a head start on their degrees and stretch their higher education dollars further. States and districts investing in a diverse range of proven academic programs give students more pathways to success.
Research shows that students who complete advanced coursework—whether through AP, IB, Cambridge or dual enrollment—are more likely to persist in college and graduate on time. For example, a 2021 study of Florida State University (FSU) students revealed that 98% of students who entered FSU with academic credit earned through Cambridge earned passing grades in their subsequent college courses (compared to 91% of all students), while 73% of Cambridge students achieved A grades in their subsequent courses (compared to 49% of all students). Four-year graduation rates were also higher: 90% for Cambridge students versus 78% for those starting with no college credit. In addition, 93% of Hispanic Cambridge students graduated from FSU in four years compared to 82% of Hispanic students who earned college credit from other advanced programs. These results underscore the potential of advanced curricula to bridge opportunity gaps and promote educational equity.
A new report from the Community College Research Center looking at Texas high school students taking accelerated coursework found that students who combine dual enrollment (DE) courses with Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate (AP/IB) courses have higher college graduation rates and earn more at age 24 than students with AP/IB coursework alone.
Adding high-interest subjects and skills-focused courses can further strengthen schools’ offerings. At the advanced high school level, Cambridge offers college-level Cambridge International AS & A Level courses in more than 50 subjects, including unique options such as travel and tourism, design and technology, and environmental management. These subjects can engage nontraditional learners and broaden participation in advanced coursework. Cambridge also offers foundational skill-based courses in academic writing and problem solving to help students build confidence and readiness for college-level work.
Across the U.S., state policymakers are recognizing the value of offering multiple rigorous high school pathways that support college and career readiness. Eighteen states now award college credit or provide financial incentives for students who complete courses or exams in any of several advanced pathways, including international curricula, AP-, IB- and CTE-based honors pathways. Florida, for example, offers its highest-level Bright Futures Scholarship to students who earn advanced diplomas such as the Cambridge AICE, IB or AP Capstone Diploma.
As part of new high school diploma requirements that create more direct routes to college, employment or military service, Indiana introduced a first-in-the-nation Enrollment Honors Plus Seal in 2025. High school graduates who earn this seal by completing a Cambridge AICE Diploma or equivalent and meeting work-based learning standards are guaranteed admission to all seven of Indiana’s public colleges and universities, including all Indiana University and Purdue University campuses.
State policymakers have hailed the new Enrollment Honors Plus Seal as a smart way to help Indiana’s public institutions attract the state’s brightest high school graduates, keep them in state after they graduate and produce more homegrown talent to better serve the state’s workforce needs. In remarks to reporters after announcing the guaranteed admission plan for Enrollment Honors Plus Seal, Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said the state had built pathways that let students “hit the ground running when they graduate … (and) know they’re not going to waste money or time.”
When states and districts leverage advanced academic programs, they expand opportunity for all students, especially those historically underrepresented in college-level coursework. By strategically diversifying their academic portfolios, states can make smarter investments in student outcomes, accelerate progress toward college completion goals and ensure every student is equipped to thrive, wherever their path leads.
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