Dual credit programs allow high school students to enroll in college classes and earn credit toward high school graduation and a college degree. By exposing participants to college-level coursework, dual credit programs ease the transition to college, particularly for traditionally underrepresented students. These programs aim to increase the rate of college matriculation and college degree attainment for all participants.
This data story illustrates the dual credit journey of Hawaiʻi public schools.
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Explore this data story
How have dual credit programs expanded in Hawai‘i over the last decade?
Students
Dual credit participation among public high school students greatly increased from School Year 2015-2016 (15-16) to 2022-2023 (22-23).
Schools
Public high schools with Early College classes increased to 56 schools since 2015-2016 (15-16).
Grade Level
An increasing number of students from the lower grade levels are taking dual credit courses.
Courses
The number of unique dual credit courses taken by public high school students per school has increased 21% since 2015-2016 (15-16).
Top 10 Most Offered Dual Credit Courses in 2022-2023
Rank | Course | # Enrolled |
---|---|---|
1 | ENGLISH 100 | 1,521 |
2 | PSYCHOLOGY 100 | 877 |
3 | SPEECH 151 | 528 |
4 | SOCIOLOGY 100 | 286 |
5 | HAWAIIAN STUDIES 107 | 284 |
6 | MATH 103 | 270 |
7 | MATH 100 | 251 |
8 | HISTORY 152 | 231 |
9 | INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES 103 | 209 |
10 | INFO & COMPUTER SCIENCE 101 | 205 |
355 Other Courses | 6,331 |
Statewide Participation
Dual credit programs have expanded to benefit students across the entire State of Hawai‘i.
Note: Click on the arrows to toggle the years 2015–2016 and 2022–2023.
UH Campus
Public High School Students Served
To what degree have dual credit programs reached Hawaiʻi’s diverse student population?
NOTE: Graphs in this section show the statewide percentage of dual credit participants as a reference.
The sub-group(s) whose percent is above the statewide line indicate that the population is over-represented relative to the other sub-group(s).
Gender
While males makes up 52% of public high school students, females are more likely than males to participate.
Race/Ethnicity
While dual credit participation has increased across all student, growth has been strongest for populations that are underrepresented in higher education such as Filipinos and Pacific Islanders.
Economically Disadvantaged
While more than 40% of public school high school students are economically disadvantaged, participation rates have grown faster for non-disadvantaged students.
English Learners (EL)
EL participation rates have increased over time from a low of 0.5% in School Year 2015-2016 to 4.5% in 2022-2023.
Are dual credit participants in Hawaiʻi more likely to attend and successfully complete college?
Graduates
The proportion of public high school graduates participating in dual credit increased from 14% of the Class of 2016 to 24% of the Class of 2023.
First Fall College Enrollment Rate
Public high school graduates who participated in dual credit enrolled in college the first fall after high school graduation at sharply higher rates.
NOTE: Classes of 2020 – 2022 were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
College Enrollment
Graduates participating in dual credit are more likely than non-participants to attend college at an UH campus or on the continent.
Campuses Attended
Dual Credit Participants
Public High School Class of 2023
UH Campuses Attended | % |
---|---|
UH Mānoa | 18% |
Leeward Community College | 5% |
UH Hilo | 4% |
Kapiʻolani Community College | 4% |
UH West Oʻahu | 3% |
Hawaiʻi Community College | 3% |
UH Maui College | 3% |
Windward Community College | 3% |
Kauaʻi Community College | 2% |
Honolulu Community College | 1% |
Dual Credit Non-Participants
Public High School Class of 2023
UH Campuses Attended | % |
---|---|
UH Mānoa | 9% |
Kapiʻolani Community College | 4% |
Leeward Community College | 4% |
UH Maui College | 2% |
Hawaiʻi Community College | 2% |
Honolulu Community College | 2% |
Windward Community College | 2% |
UH West Oʻahu | 1% |
UH Hilo | 1% |
Kauaʻi Community College | 1% |
Enrollment and Completion
Graduates participating in dual credit are more likely than non-participants to enroll in college within 6 years of completing high school and earn a college award.
NOTE: These values are for the Class of 2016 – Class of 2022 pooled together.
Enrollment within 6 years
The portion of graduates that enrolled in college within 6 years of completing high school is 88% for dual credit graduates compared to 65% for non-dual credit graduates.
College Award within 6 years
The portion of graduates that earned a college award within 6 years of completing high school is 56% for dual credit graduates compared to 30% for non-dual credit graduates.
Key Findings
Students’ college enrollment and completion data comes from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). NSC data covers over 3,600 postsecondary institutions that collectively enroll 97% of all students in public and private higher education/postsecondary institutions nationwide
Note: Due to the different student matching process that DXP uses, dual credit participant numbers in this dual credit data story may not completely align to individual UH or Hawaiʻi Department of Education reports.
The creation of this data story was supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant 84.372A (Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems) to the Hawai‘i State Department of Education. The opinions expressed are those of Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education and do not represent views of the Institute or the U.S. Department of Education.