Northern Essex Community College and Greater Lawrence Technical School are among 29 new Early College partnerships recently announced by the Healey-Driscoll Administration.
“This is the largest expansion of Early College in Massachusetts history, and it reflects our commitment to creating more opportunity for students across our state,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We are bringing together high schools, colleges and employers to help students graduate with college credits, career experience and a strong foundation for the future at no cost to them or their families. This expansion will make higher education more affordable, strengthen our workforce pipeline and continue positioning Massachusetts as a national leader in education and economic opportunity.”
NECC Early College students at recent recognition ceremony
Early College programs are a key part of the administration’s Reimagining High School initiative, ensuring Massachusetts students are prepared for college or careers when they graduate. These programs allow high school students, especially those underrepresented in higher education, to earn college credits at no cost to them or their families while still in high school.
“Receiving the Early College Designation is an exciting step for the partnership between Greater Lawrence Technical High School and Northern Essex Community College. The designation will help us to build and grow our partnership to create exciting educational opportunities for our students,” said Greater Lawrence Tech Assistant Principal of Humanities Brendon Sullivan.
Greater Lawrence Tech is NECC’s fourth Early College designated partner, joining Haverhill High School, Lawrence High School and Whitter Technical Vocational High School. In addition to these state-designated partnerships, Northern Essex offers its Early College Program to students from 25 other local high schools and home-schooled students. These students can earn credits at a 50% discount.
Northern Essex also offers the NECC Promise Scholarship Program to students from Haverhill, Lawrence, Whittier, and the Seacoast area high schools. That allows students who earn at least 15 credits and a 3.0 GPA in Early College to continue at Northern Essex for free.
“Greater Lawrence and Northern Essex have been collaborating on programming for many years,” remarked NECC Associate Dean of PK-12 Partnerships Aaron Altman. “We are beyond excited to expand our partnership and continue to provide opportunities for students to participate in Early College coursework on a greater scale.”
Data analysis that shows the state’s investment in Early College is paying off. Sixty-six percent of Early College graduates immediately enroll in higher education after high school, with the majority enrolling at a public college or university in Massachusetts. Once enrolled in higher education, former Early College students are persisting – with 87 percent staying in college through a second term and 82 percent returning to college for a second year.
Earlier this year, Governor Healey announced the goal of enrolling 100,000 Early College students by 2036. The administration continues to invest in the program, adding 65 new partnerships in the last three years and increasing the number of Early College participants by 3,700 since 2023, a 59 percent jump.
In the 2025/2026 Academic year, 1,000 local students participated in Early College programming at Northern Essex. The college recently celebrated 400 graduating seniors who earned a combined 6,584 credits while in high school, an average of 15 credits each, which translates to a full college semester. Three students completed associate degrees and 105 plan to attend NECC. To learn more about Early College at Northern Essex, visit the webpage.
This article was adapted from a 6/3 press release from the Healey-Driscoll Administration.
