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Albany High School will be one of just 11 schools in New York state that
can send students to college for free while they’re still in high school
thanks to a $447,500 grant funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.
The City School District of Albany has been selected to participate in
the Smart Scholars Early College High School program. The four-year
grant will allow up to 275 Albany High students to attend
Hudson Valley
Community College for free, earning up to 30 college credits
before graduating from high school.
The grant is part of a statewide $6 million grant the Gates Foundation
awarded to the State Education Department. Smart Scholars will give
students the opportunity to accelerate the completion of high school
while also earning college credits.
Students will have dual enrollment at Albany High and Hudson Valley, and
will receive additional academic support to ensure they are at grade
level and ready to participate in rigorous college courses.
The program aims to increase high-school graduation and
college-completion rates among black and Hispanic students and reduce
student tuition costs. At Albany High, the program will be part of the
Academy of Engineering, which launched this year. Albany High is one of
just 33 U.S. high schools offering the Academy of Engineering.
Along with Hudson Valley, the district partnered with the
University at
Albany and
RPI to
earn the Smart Scholars grant.
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