The Early College Initiative at The City University of New York (CUNY) supports 13 public schools in New York City that begin in the 6th or 9th grade, serve approximately 575 students each, and blend a rigorous college-prep curriculum with the opportunity to earn up to two years of college credit while in high school. The main goal of these new schools is to provide students with the confidence and skills necessary to graduate from both high school and college. These innovative schools make a college education more accessible, affordable and attractive to New York City students by offering programs that blur the lines between middle school, high school and college. Each school is partnered with a CUNY college, which participates in the life of the school through providing college courses to high school students, curriculum planning, college readiness programming, career development, mentoring, collaborative staff development, and access to facilities.
