Dual Enrollment Programs That Actually Add Value
What McDonogh School (MD) and St. Andrew's Episcopal School (MD) can teach us about entrepreneurial thinking, academic partnerships, and return on investment.
In a recent article, I challenged independent schools to think more creatively about how they demonstrate return on investment to families. With tuition continuing to rise, competition intensifying, and families asking increasingly difficult questions about the value of an independent school education, I argued that schools need to find ways to demonstrate value that go beyond their college matriculation lists.
Recently, I came across two Maryland schools doing exactly that.
McDonogh School and St. Andrew's Episcopal School have developed partnerships with colleges and universities that let students earn college credit while taking courses taught by their own teachers on their own campuses during the normal school day.
St. Andrew’s College Partnerships
Dual enrollment isn't exactly new. Variations have existed for decades. But the approach these schools have embraced removes the obstacles that have traditionally made dual enrollment difficult for independent schools and their families. As a result, these schools have earned rave reviews from current families for the value they have added to their tuition investment.
More importantly, their experiences offer a compelling example of what can happen when school leaders embrace entrepreneurial thinking and ask not simply how to better market what they're already doing, but how to make it even more valuable.
A Different Approach to Dual Enrollment
Traditionally, dual enrollment has often meant high school students traveling to a nearby college or community college to take courses, or enrolling in online college classes outside their regular school schedule.
For independent school students already navigating demanding academic schedules, athletics, arts, and other commitments, those arrangements can be impractical.
Jeff Depelteau, Director of Enrollment Management at St. Andrew's, explained that the school's rotating schedule made it virtually impossible for students to leave campus regularly to take a college course.
The solution? Don't send students to the college. Instead, bring college credit to the courses students are already taking.
McDonogh and St. Andrew's have established partnerships with Washington College and Notre Dame of Maryland University, among other institutions, through which their existing courses are reviewed and approved as equivalent to college-level offerings.
Students continue attending their regular classes, taught by their own teachers. The curriculum doesn't need to be replaced with a university-developed one, and students don't need to add hours to their schedules.
For a relatively modest registration fee, they can receive college credit for successfully completing qualifying courses.
Think about that for a moment.
A school takes courses it already teaches, with teachers it already employs, and creates opportunities for students to earn college credit that might otherwise cost thousands of dollars.
That's a pretty compelling value proposition.
Meaningful Value Without Reinventing the School
Kevin Costa, McDonogh's Senior Director of Mission Integration and Partnerships, explained that his school had moved away from Advanced Placement courses several years earlier, in part to give teachers greater freedom to design challenging, distinctive curricula.
When McDonogh first considered dual enrollment, Costa was reluctant to embrace a model that would require teachers to abandon those independently developed courses in favor of a university's curriculum.
Then Notre Dame of Maryland University proposed something different: Rather than asking McDonogh to teach the university's courses, the university would examine McDonogh's existing curriculum and identify courses that already met its academic standards.
The initial review identified 22 courses that could qualify.
Families' response was overwhelmingly positive.
Today, McDonogh offers approximately 26 dual-credit courses through its college partnerships. Costa told me that one student will graduate this year with 21 college credits. He estimates that earning those credits at the University of Maryland would cost approximately $7,500 for in-state tuition.
At St. Andrew's, the program came together remarkably quickly.
After learning about McDonogh's approach, Depelteau and Lorraine Martinez Hanley, Assistant Head for Academics and Professional Growth, visited McDonogh to understand how the partnerships worked. They then began identifying eligible courses and completing the required approval process.
Within approximately six weeks, St. Andrew's had launched its program.
Going from idea to a fully operational program in six weeks is unheard of in independent schools and represents the kind of entrepreneurial speed many schools would benefit from adopting.
The early results are impressive. According to Depelteau, 45% of the senior class registered for at least one dual-enrollment course, generating 68 course registrations and 213 potential college credits. One student is on track to graduate in June 2027 with 12 college credits.
Of course, there are important qualifications. College credits don't automatically transfer to every institution, and even accepted credits may not reduce the total cost or length of a student's college education. Families must investigate how colleges will treat credits for the schools their children ultimately attend. Fortunately, programs like Transferology can support that effort in significant ways.
Nevertheless, the opportunity is significant. Students can earn legitimate college credits without sacrificing the independent school experience their families have chosen.
A Win for Teachers, Too
One of the most interesting aspects of my conversations came from Lorraine Martinez Hanley, who expressed a spirit that is alive and well at both schools.
As the administrator responsible for academics and professional growth at St. Andrew's, she saw more than the obvious benefits for students and families.
She saw an opportunity to elevate her teachers' professional standing.
Through the college partnerships, qualifying St. Andrew's teachers can become adjunct faculty members of the participating institutions, with access to university libraries, professional development opportunities, and other academic resources.
For Martinez Hanley, this was an important part of the appeal. Her teachers could receive external recognition for the quality of their work while gaining access to additional professional growth opportunities.
It also affirmed the school's academic program.
Imagine the message to faculty when an accredited college or university reviews courses they developed and determines they meet college-level academic expectations.
Depelteau described the announcement as an affirmation not only for Upper School teachers but for the entire faculty, including those in the Lower and Middle Schools whose work prepared students for those advanced courses.
This is an important reminder that initiatives designed to strengthen a school's value proposition don't necessarily have to come at the expense of its educational mission. Sometimes they can reinforce that mission while simultaneously strengthening faculty morale and professional growth.
Why Would Colleges Be Interested In Partnerships Like These?
These partnerships have another side worth understanding.
Colleges and universities face many of the same enrollment challenges independent schools do. They need to attract qualified students, strengthen enrollment pipelines, and develop new revenue sources.
Maryland offers an additional financial consideration.
Through the state's Joseph A. Sellinger Program, eligible independent colleges and universities receive state operating support tied to undergraduate enrollment. Dual-enrollment credits can contribute to reported undergraduate enrollment, creating a potential financial benefit for participating institutions.
And there are other benefits. Colleges build relationships with academically prepared students, introduce them to their institutions, and create opportunities for future enrollment.
The result is a partnership in which students, families, teachers, independent schools, and colleges all have something to gain.
The Most Important Lesson Isn't About College Credit
Here's what I find particularly interesting about the McDonogh and St. Andrew's stories.
Both schools began exploring these opportunities after a trustee connected to their institutions suggested them. Rather than dismissing an unfamiliar idea or assuming that their traditional approaches were sufficient, school leaders started asking questions.
Could this work for us? What would it take? Who might be willing to partner? What benefits could it create?
McDonogh did much of the early exploration, and when St. Andrew's expressed interest, Costa generously shared what his school had learned.
That willingness to explore, experiment, and collaborate is worth celebrating.
So is the thinking that motivated the effort.
Costa described how competitive pressures in the Baltimore independent school market have challenged McDonogh to become clearer about its distinctive value proposition. Rather than responding simply by discounting tuition, the school is looking for ways to create additional value for families.
As he told me, competitive pressure "makes us sharper and gets us very, very clear about where our value proposition is and what we can do that other schools can't."
I think that's exactly the mindset independent schools need.
At St. Andrew's, Depelteau noted that some of the first families to express enthusiasm for the new programs were parents of eighth graders, precisely the families the school hopes to retain as their children transition into high school.
That is a meaningful enrollment consideration. If a school can demonstrate that its Upper School offers distinctive opportunities with tangible benefits, it gives families another compelling reason to stay.
And those benefits extend beyond potential college savings. Students gain confidence in their ability to do college-level work. Teachers gain professional opportunities. The school strengthens its academic reputation. Families see additional value in their tuition investment.
The Entrepreneurial School
I don't believe every independent school should rush out and establish dual-enrollment partnerships.
The economics, academic requirements, college relationships, and administrative capacity will vary from one school to another. What works at McDonogh or St. Andrew's may not be appropriate elsewhere.
But that's really not the point.
The point is that these schools are demonstrating the kind of entrepreneurial culture that I believe will become increasingly important to independent school success.
Too often, independent schools operate within administrative structures and traditions that make meaningful innovation unnecessarily difficult. Academic leaders develop programs. Enrollment and marketing professionals are then expected to explain why those programs are attractive to families.
What if we approached things differently?
What if academic leaders, enrollment professionals, trustees, and other administrators worked more intentionally together to identify and prioritize opportunities that advance the school's mission, distinguish it in the marketplace, deliver additional value to families, and drive enrollment?
What if we routinely asked how we could leverage existing programs, faculty expertise, facilities, community relationships, and institutional partnerships in ways we haven't previously considered?
The goal shouldn't be to chase every new idea or turn our schools into purely transactional enterprises. Quite the opposite. The goal should be to remain deeply committed to our educational missions while becoming more creative about how we fulfill them.
McDonogh and St. Andrew's aren't just offering college credit. They're showing us what's possible when independent school leaders are willing to rethink assumptions, pursue partnerships, and recognize opportunities where others see obstacles.
In an increasingly challenging enrollment environment, that entrepreneurial spirit may be every bit as valuable as the programs it creates.
Additional Resources: An Education Beyond: Dual Credit and Direct Admissions - The Purpose of School Podcast
