Early College at Guilford again tops North Carolina high school rankings
Guilford College partnership gives high school students access to rigorous college-level courses, faculty and a liberal arts education.
Early College at Guilford (ECG) has once again been recognized as the top-ranked high school in North Carolina by U.S. News & World Report, placing No. 26 nationally among the country’s public high schools.
The ranking continues a remarkable run of national recognition for the school based on the Guilford College campus, which has been a fixture among the nation’s highest-performing high schools since it was established in 2002 through a partnership between Guilford County Schools and the College.
The school’s unusual academic model is central to its success. Students spend their first two years taking honors and Advanced Placement courses before moving into college-level coursework alongside Guilford College undergraduates during their junior and senior years. By graduation, students can earn a high school diploma along with up to two years of college credit from Guilford.
For Guilford President Jean Bordewich, the partnership represents one of the institution’s distinctive contributions to the broader Greensboro community.
“The Early College is a remarkable example of what can happen when educational institutions work together to create opportunities for students,” Jean says. “For more than two decades, Guilford College and Guilford County Schools have built a partnership that gives talented young people access to a rigorous liberal arts education and to the experience of being part of a college community. We are proud of what these students accomplish and proud that Guilford can play a role in helping them get there.”
ECG’s curriculum is intentionally writing intensive and academically demanding. High school juniors and seniors take courses taught by Guilford College professors and study subjects that go well beyond the typical high school curriculum, including organic chemistry, linear algebra, modern art and health economics.
The arrangement gives students access to college faculty and coursework while they remain enrolled in a public high school.
ECG is one of North Carolina’s Cooperative Innovative High Schools, a statewide program designed to allow high school students to earn college credit while completing their secondary education.
The school has received many accolades, and in 2023, it was ranked No. 1 nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
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