High schoolers enter AACC at higher rates

Devan Grubb-Hayes Reporter

More public high school students, like Chesapeake High School senior Audrey Guinn, are taking classes at AACC this semester. Because of a 2022 law, they receive free tuition at state community colleges.

The number of high school students who take classes at AACC increased by approximately 30% after the Maryland Legislature passed a 2022 law to give high schoolers free tuition at community colleges.

In spring 2023, 1,552 dual-enrollment students were enrolled at AACC, compared with 1,201 in spring 2022.

“That’s the biggest thing with these colleges,” JT Hartlove, a Chesapeake High School senior who takes computer tech and public speaking classes here, said.

“It’s just money. And I mean, it costs a lot of money to go to college in the first place. So if they’re going to make it free for high schoolers, it’s a good in.”

The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future passed and made tuition free at Mary-

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