Early college high school

With the ever increasing importance of education in the world today, having at least an associates degree has become a minimum. I was thinking about a way to reduce some of the time and costs that go into education from the perspective of both the citizen and the government and thought combining the two might be a good idea. Some universities offer 5 year Bachelor’s/Master's degree programs for instance that help to "cut some of the bull" and speed up the process. So I thought it might be a good idea for some special public schools to combine with their local community colleges and offer a 5 year high school/associates degree.

Then I came across this site and found, to my surprise, that these schools already exist.

Quote :

Early college high school is a bold approach, based on the principle that academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money, is a powerful motivator for students to work hard and meet serious intellectual challenges. Early college high schools blend high school and college in a rigorous yet supportive program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college.

Since 2002, the partner organizations of the Early College High School Initiative have started or redesigned almost 160 schools in 24 states and the District of Columbia. The schools are designed so that low-income youth, first-generation college goers, English language learners, students of color, and other young people underrepresented in higher education can simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree or up to two years of credit toward a Bachelor’s degree—tuition free.

http://www.earlycolleges.org/

Now it would be nice if the idea would spread and they would become open not just to minorities, low income groups, and people from the inner city, but to everyone with the ability to get in.