The mission of the El Paso Community College Dual Credit, ECHS and P-TECH is to offer qualified high school students a quality, seamless pathway to post-secondary education by providing college courses aligned with academic or workforce degrees and/or certificates. The key to the success of the College and Career Readiness School Models (CCRSM) like the P-TECHS is a strong partnership between independent school districts (ISDs) and higher education institutions. As a result, these programs are offered at no cost to students or their families making college more accessible.
In 1999, EPCC’s dual credit students comprised less than 1% of the college’s total enrollment. In the Fall 2025 semester, dual credit and ECHS students (including P-TECH students) represent over 39% of our total enrollment. Data from the 2010 U.S Census showed that 43% of El Paso County residents aged 18-24 had some college or an associate degree. By the 2020 U.S. census that increased to 50.7%.
As of 2026, EPCC has 18 ECHS and 21 P-TECHS in 13 area school districts plus private schools. Dual Credit and ECHS students have access to the same resources and services available to traditional students. Students who have been involved in any of these programs are three times more likely to graduate from high school, transfer to a post-secondary institution, and complete a college degree or certificate. To date more than 9,000 degrees and certificates have been awarded. They also:
- have higher GPAs (3.7 vs 2.7)
- are twice as likely to graduate from EPCC in 3 years or less than those who never took Dual Credit
- are three times more likely to graduate from UTEP**
- are more likely to persist, succeed, and avoid developmental courses
- are more likely to matriculate in graduate school
- save significantly on the costs of tuition, fees, and textbooks for every course taken.
- 60.36% of ECHS and P-TECH students earn a post-secondary degree or certificate before high school graduation and
For every data point, there is a story of a student’s life who was impacted. Gracie Martinez was a parent who wanted her kids to go to college but was hesitant to encourage them to do so. “I didn’t have a chance to go to college and while I wanted my kids to go, with my husband unemployed, I knew we didn’t have the money to send them,” Martinez said. “The [EPCC] early college [program] changed everything and now my daughter is the first of us to graduate college.”