Chalkbeat / WBEZ/ Sun-Times report: CPS has doubled the number of college classes students are taking at their schools.

City Colleges leaders note that CPS students who take dual credit and then enroll on their campuses, do better than their peers who did not take the courses.

Excerpt below and to read the full story click here or visit: https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/03/29/cps-has-doubled-the-number-of-college-classes-students-are-taking-at-their-schools-is-it-paying-off-dual-credit-enrollment

Brandt recalls taking the dual credit plunge with classes overseen by Malcolm X College, part of the City Colleges of Chicago community college network, which accounts for the bulk of the district’s dual credit courses. She found the classes as accessible as her regular high school classes, with one key difference: Teachers were stricter about turning in work on time, stressing that would be the expectation at college.

She’d once planned to take a gap year after high school — to work and save up for community college. But now, she’s eyeing four-year universities right after graduation.

“In college,” she said, “I’ll be able to focus on my major, and I’ll be a step ahead.”