Richmond Early College High School

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Richmond Early College High School (abbreviated REaCH) was established in Hamlet, North Carolina, on the campus of Richmond Community College. The first classes were held on August 6, 2007. It serves a student population of grades 9–13, and offers small class sizes, as well as an early start into the college atmosphere.

2 + 4 = 5[]

Richmond Early College offers the 2 + 4 = 5 program to students, which allows them to work toward a two-year associate's degree (Associate in Arts, Science, Business Administration, and Mechanical Engineering are currently offered), as well as the high school diploma (which would usually take six years combined), and allows them to achieve both in five years or less. This program essentially allows students to substitute electives for college courses. For example, instead of a student taking an art course, the student may be enrolled in a college-level math course. Students will take on more and more college courses with their comfort and experience within the program. In their first semester (Fall, 9th Grade), they will be enrolled in ACA 118, which is a College Student Success course, teaching various techniques of notetaking, time management, and organizational methods. This class is not only very beneficial to the students for the content of the course, but it also offers the students a taste of college. All students within the class will be from REaCH, although that may not be the case in future college courses.

Founding[]

Richmond Early College High School is an initiative of Governor Mike Easley and the New Schools Project, with the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. As a result of the tremendous support of Bill and Melinda Gates, all tuition and books are provided free of charge to the students, a strong difference from typical dual enrollment.

Qualification[]

REaCH is targeted at first-generation college students whose parent did not graduate from college. Household income and family marital status are among the factors used in determining acceptance to the program. REaCH reviews about 90 applicants each spring and selects 35 to be a part of the ninth grade class.

Controversy[]

In 2017, it was widely reported that the school had cancelled yearbook distribution after it was discovered that the yearbooks contained a quote from a student endorsing president Trump's immigration policies. The school declined to reprint the book, and instead offered a refund to the students.