Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The Early College Initiative (ECI) high schools in NYC provide opportunities to take college-credit courses (up to the equivalent of an associate’s degree) while in high school. In this study, we measure the impact of ECI on college retention. Our sample is 5,041 students who graduated from New York City public high schools in the ECI network between Fall 2006 and Fall 2013. We use survival analysis to measure the impact of demographic, academic, and behavioral risk factors on the persistence of ECI graduates. We find that there is a great deal of variation in postsecondary outcomes for students across the ECI high schools. However, these outcomes are not associated with student demographic characteristics, with the exception of gender. Black and Latinx students are as likely as White students to persist, when both high school achievement and behavioral factors, such as attendance, are taken into account. Differences in persistence do exist by gender with women more likely to persist when compared to young men. This study provides empirical evidence that early college immersion and academic momentum have the potential to narrow persisting gaps in postsecondary outcomes.