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Onslow County Schools highlights expanding dual-enrollment partnership with Coastal Carolina Community College
Summary
Board heard an instructional services update detailing growth in Career and College Promise dual-enrollment, new industry certificate offerings, welding program recovery via joint grant support and measured student success in college-level classes taught on high school campuses.
Onslow County Schools on March 20 described an expanding partnership with Coastal Carolina Community College that officials say has increased access to college coursework and career training for high school students across the county.
School staff and college leaders told the Onslow County Board of Education that the Career and College Promise dual-enrollment program now delivers college-level classes on high school campuses, offers new certificate pathways and has helped students accumulate substantial semester credit while lowering costs for families.
David Heatherly, president of Coastal Carolina Community College, said the relationship with the school system is long-standing and has grown into one of the college’s fastest-expanding efforts. “Career and College Promise as dual enrollment … has been for many years and it will always be that, for me,” Heatherly said, adding the program continued to grow even through the pandemic.
Dr. Michael Elder, who introduced the update as part of the district’s instructional services report, said the partnership addresses barriers such as transportation and academic readiness by placing college instructors and liaisons on high school campuses. “Our goal in this K–12 environment is getting kids ready for a future that sometimes they can see for themselves and sometimes they can't yet imagine,” Elder said.
Matthew Herman, vice president for instruction and student services at Coastal, presented outcome data for students taking college courses on high school campuses. Herman said participating students posted an overall success rate of 87.57 percent in the college courses and that the program produced roughly 1,528 semester hours of credit in the 2023–24 year, producing estimated tuition savings of $116,128 for eligible students.
The update also covered collaboration on career and technical education. Onslow staff described a multi-year effort to restore and expand the district’s welding instruction after a teacher medical leave removed local capacity. The district secured adjunct instructors through Coastal and jointly obtained a Golden Leaf grant to add new welding bays and fume extractors; district staff said Coastal provided instructors the last two years so students can earn both high-school graduation credit and college credentials.
Officials described additional short-term certificate pathways now available through Coastal — examples cited included fire investigator, income tax preparer, system security and a new early childhood education certificate created in response to local labor-market demand.
Board members and several parents praised the partnership during discussion, citing reduced costs and accelerated degree pathways. Dr. Elder and Coastal staff said there is no board action requested with this update but that the district and college will continue exploring expansion opportunities, including more early-college and career-focused early-college options.
The presentation closed with district leaders noting remaining barriers such as textbook costs for some students and ongoing work to broaden awareness of options through school counselors and on-campus Coastal liaisons.
