Leslie Goldman, coordinator of advanced academics in high schools, told the Socorro ISD Board of Trustees on Oct. 15 that the district awarded 484 associate degrees last year through its Early College High School and P-TECH programs, bringing the district total to more than 2,950.

Goldman said the district expects another 161 students to complete associate degrees this fall semester, which would push the total over 3,000 — the highest number in the region. She described Early College High School programs as those that allow students to earn an associate degree or up to 60 college credit hours while still in high school and said support structures include smaller class sizes, targeted tutoring and mentoring.

Goldman outlined two program models in the district: a traditional Early College High School model, which admits about 135 students per cohort (540 students total across cohorts), and pathway-oriented P-TECH programs, which admit about 25 students per cohort per track and are focused on industry-aligned career pathways such as biomedical studies. She said Synergy P-TECH in the biomedical pathway is graduating its first cohort this year.

Goldman said last year’s 484 associate degrees "brings our total to over 2,950," and that the fall semester figure of 161 graduates is expected to make Socorro ISD the largest producer of early-college associate-degree graduates in the region. She said students in P-TECH also earn industry-based certifications in addition to college credit.

Board members had no substantive questions during the presentation. The report was informational and was not the subject of a separate vote.