Merancas Middle College High School: A Pathway to Tuition-Free College Education

Merancas Middle College High School (MMCHS), a part of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS), offers an honors program spanning grades 11-13. This Cooperative Innovative High School, located on the Merancas Campus of Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), provides students with a unique opportunity to earn college credit while completing their high school graduation requirements. As part of the Career and College Promise (CCP) program, MMCHS allows students to potentially earn an Associate's degree for free in a 13th year.

Overview of Merancas Middle College High School

MMCHS is Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools' fourth Middle College program, having opened in the fall of 2017. Enrollment is capped at 100 students per grade level, fostering a close-knit learning environment.

Location and Affiliation

The school operates on the Merancas Campus of Central Piedmont Community College. This strategic location enables students to seamlessly integrate their high school coursework with college-level studies.

Limited Enrollment and Dual Enrollment

Each grade level in the middle college program is capped at 100 students, so the school is much smaller than a traditional high school. In addition, students are dually enrolled with CMS and Central Piedmont Community College.

Honors and Advanced Placement Courses

All MMCHS courses are Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) level, ensuring a rigorous academic experience.

Earning College Credit

Students enrolled at MMCHS take courses required for high school graduation while simultaneously taking college courses for a post-secondary certificate, college diploma, associates degree, and/or industry certificate.

Curriculum and Scheduling

MMCHS students are required to enroll in a minimum of four courses per semester, including both high school and college courses. Each student’s schedule is unique to the student. Mornings are open for students to take CPCC classes. There are 3 blocks of CMS classes beginning at 11:20 and ending at 4:20. Students are free to come and go during the day as long as they attend all scheduled classes.

Career & College Promise (CCP) Program

MMCHS is part of North Carolina's dual enrollment program known as Career & College Promise (CCP). This program enables eligible high school students to enroll in college classes at North Carolina community colleges and universities through their high school. While CCP students select pathways to enroll in, Middle College students can enroll in certificate, diploma, and degree programs, giving them access to more classes.

Benefits of Attending MMCHS

Saving on College Tuition

Graduates from a CMS Middle College High School program can save up to $30,000 in college tuition.

College and Career Readiness

Students report that small class sizes and close relationships with their high school teachers and college instructors help them become critical thinkers and truly understand how to become college and career-ready.

Strong Social Connection

In a recent survey of student engagement, Merancas students indicated that they believe they can succeed in achieving academic outcomes and have a strong social connection between teachers and students within and beyond the classroom. All of these points lead to an improved community, both in our school and the neighboring community.

Access to College Amenities

Middle College students have access to all Central Piedmont student amenities such as labs, libraries, and activities.

Unique Scheduling

Each middle college student has a unique schedule.

Free Tuition, Fees, and Textbooks

Tuition, fees, and textbooks are free for Middle College students. The costs of tuition and books are covered by CMS.

Accelerated Learning Opportunities

Middle College programs offer accelerated learning opportunities that allow students to take college courses while completing their high school graduation requirements.

Read also: Affording Chaminade Middle School

Thirteenth Year Option

Students may stay a third year in Middle College High School and take additional college classes with the opportunity to complete an Associates Degree and/or Career/Industry Certification. This is an optional program that is open to students who are in good academic standing with CMS and CPCC and have met all graduation requirements. Students enroll in only CPCC classes and a CMS Middle College High School Seminar course during Grade 13.

Transportation

CATS provides transportation at no cost to students. CMS transportation is not provided to middle college students. Students drive to school, carpool with other students, get dropped off by a parent/guardian, or ride CATS transportation.

Extracurricular Activities

Merancas Middle College students can participate in any CPCC club or activity as well as a wide variety of clubs unique to the high school. These include Student Government, National Honor Society, Black Student Union, Yearbook, Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, Greenhouse Club, Media Club, and STEAM Club. Students may continue to participate in organized CMS-sponsored school sports, cheerleading, and marching band at their home high school.

Admission and Lottery Process

Rising 11th and 12th grade students may apply for a seat at Merancas Middle College High School through the CMS School Choice lottery. Each CMS school sends a letter to students with their assignment for the upcoming year and instructions for applying for a magnet seat through the lottery process. Future enrollment begins on December 6th, and is a formality where residency is proven to CMS. It is called "future enrollment" because it is for next school year and allows student placement to assign the student an ID number. It's not a commitment to attend CMS as much as making it possible for the student to participate in the CMS Choice Lottery. Since Merancas Middle College HS is a full magnet, students come from all over Mecklenburg County.

Lottery Details

There is no benefit to applying earlier in the window rather than near the end of the application period. Families are notified of acceptance or “waitlist” status in early February. There are 100 seats available for incoming 11th grade students. Typically, about 40-50 students from the lottery are placed on the waitlist, with about half of them being pulled in before the start of the school year as seats become available. Limited seats are available for incoming 12th grade students since most 11th grade students stay.

Academic Performance and College Readiness

News calculates these values for schools based on student performance on state-required tests and internationally available exams on college-level coursework (AP® and IB exams).

AP® Exam Performance

62% of 12th grade students Took at Least One AP® Exam and 40% Passed at Least One AP® Exam. Exam Takers in 12th Grade Class Who Scored 3+ on an Exam was 64%.

College Readiness (District Average)

The College Readiness (district average) is 27.6.

Subject Proficiency (District Average)

Proficient in Reading (district average) is 60%, Proficient in Mathematics (district average) is 35%, and Proficient in Science (district average) is 48%.

Important Considerations

FERPA Regulations

Due to FERPA, CPCC does not share grades or attendance information with parents, and this information is not updated in PowerSchool until the end of each semester. CPCC is implementing a new alert system (Aviso) that will notify the middle college front office staff if a student is doing poorly in class or not attending.

Course Transferability

Most courses will transfer to all 4-year NC Public Universities. Private colleges and out-of-state colleges often have their own policies regarding transfer credits. CPCC offers over 300 certificate, diploma, and degree options, and most are available to Middle College students. Middle College students are automatically enrolled into the Associate in Arts degree but can change programs of study to another transferable degree (Associate in Science degree or Associate in Engineering), or an Associate in Applied Science degree, certificate, or diploma that will prepare students with skills needed to enter a specific career.

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