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An Early College High School (ECHS) like ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ Collegiate High School is a designation through the Texas Education Agency for innovative high schools located on or near a college campus. This designation allows students who would not otherwise consider attending college an opportunity to earn a high school diploma and an associate degree with up to 60 free college credit hours.
An ECHS allows students the unique opportunity to prepare for college success as one of 125 new incoming freshmen. Students have access to Tarrant County College (TCC) facilities, resources and services, including the faculty, libraries, labs, artistic and cultural activities and extracurricular activities, as appropriate.

ACHS students can earn up to 60 free college credit hours and an associate of arts or associate of applied science degree.

Students must begin ACHS during their ninth-grade year, so only incoming ninth graders are accepted.

An application must be completed for consideration to a signature program. Families can apply for up to three signature programs and rank them by first, second and third choice.

The application for the 2027 - 2028 school year opens Wednesday, October 21, 2026 and closes on Thursday, November 12, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

Approximately 125 students per program are accepted each year with more than 350 students applying each year.

We are looking for students who work hard and have a positive attitude. Students at ACHS will go to a campus that creates a college-going culture that enables students to build the skills and knowledge, including academic behaviors, necessary for college success.

Students cannot reapply as they move through their sophomore, junior, and senior years. The curriculum students engage with includes high school and dual credit courses, which are rigorous and fast-paced. Accepting students outside these cohorts is difficult because the courses are in a particular sequence or path.

Yes, a student can apply to other programs:

¾«¶«Ó°Òµ College and Career High School
Bowie P-TECH
Lamar P-TECH
Sam Houston P-TECH
Seguin P-TECH
STEM Academy at Martin High School

Residents outside of ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ ISD boundaries will be offered admission after all ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ ISD residents have been placed. Out-of-district siblings of current ACHS students are exempt from this requirement.

Families receive one notification, either an invitation from a signature program campus or an email explaining other opportunities if a student is not accepted into a signature program.

There is no cost to attend ACHS. The ¾«¶«Ó°Òµ ISD will pay for tuition, fees and required textbooks to the extent those charges are not waived for Tarrant County College.

Yes, there are school buses that travel to and from each traditional high school in the district on each school day to ACHS. Students are picked up at the traditional high school they are zoned to attend then driven to ACHS each day. They ride the bus back to the traditional high school each afternoon.
Transportation is not provided for out-of-district students.

During the application window, several parent information meetings are held to review the program design, expectations and to discuss the application process. Parents must attend a parent meeting for at least one early college high school.

No competitive sports or fine arts are available at ACHS, and students who attend ACHS cannot compete in these areas for other high schools.