Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ planned magnet overhaul includes a proposal that the CMS school board has previously vetoed after community pushback: changing four so-called “middle colleges” into “early colleges.”
These programs allow high schoolers to work toward an associate’s degree, with early college starting in ninth grade and middle college starting in 11th grade.
In 2024, the district sought to turn its four middle colleges into early colleges, but the school board balked after community concern.
But there’s a new school board in place now. Three of the members who voted against the proposal — Lisa Cline, Melissa Easley and Summer Nunn — are no longer on the board. And Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight said last week the early colleges are facing waitlists while the middle colleges still have empty seats.
“Demand for our early colleges continue to grow,” Balknight said. “With more than 1,300 students on our wait list for the 26-27 school year, we believe now is the time for the transition.”
In 2024, middle college students praised the program for giving them two years at a traditional high school before making the leap to full college immersion.
“If you change the middle college program to early colleges only, having students enter in ninth grade, you'll be forcing students who are barely even teenagers to choose a career path. These students are not mature enough,” said middle college student Khai Mathlage at a public hearing in 2024.
Balknight said the district will try to make a better case to families that a similar opportunity would still exist through dual enrollment.
Community engagement on the latest iteration of the proposal is underway.
