Arlington Public Schools leaders are seeking to help more students earn college degrees in tandem with high school diplomas.
In the spring, 19 students at Arlington Tech — the Governor’s STEM Academy at the Arlington Career Center — received associate’s degrees from Northern Virginia Community College through the program’s dual-enrollment effort.
That’s about 20% of the Arlington Tech graduating class, and it’s a record high for the five-year-old dual-enrollment initiative.
Arlington accounted for half the NOVA associate’s degrees bestowed on high-school students across Northern Virginia for the 2024-25 school year. Other Arlington Tech students took in-person or online courses for college credit, which are transferred when they move on to institutions of higher learning.
“Our goal is to support students who want to earn college degrees or certificates while still in high school, but it is not an expectation for all students,” said Michelle Van Lare, coordinator of the Arlington Tech program. “Our goal is for all students to earn at least nine transferable college credits before graduating.”
Arlington Tech is housed in the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) center, giving students the opportunity to earn both college credits and industry credentials.
“All students who have earned degrees have transferred those credits to four-year colleges,” Van Lare told ARLnow. “Our students go on to a wide range of private and public schools across the country.”
At a reception honoring graduating Arlington Tech students last May, Malcolm Pace, the director of dual enrollment at NOVA, lauded their work.
“What you are doing here is unheard of, and it’s something we’d like to grow and be seen as a national model,” he said.
At the same event, Superintendent Francisco Durán praised the collaborative nature of the initiative.
“The success of our dual-enrollment program highlights the dedication and hard work of our students, faculty and staff,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see so many students achieving their academic goals and setting a strong foundation for their future.”
Among those who used the program to earn college credit was Marlene Reyes, a member of the Arlington Tech Class of 2025 who is now at Virginia Tech.
She earned an associate’s degree in general studies while still in high school and credits Deirdre Magro, the NOVA coordinator at the Arlington Career Center, for providing guidance.
“She is great, and helps you figure out which classes to take and match up your credits to the college you want to attend,” Reyes said.
“Our teachers use the language ‘college-level expectations with high school-level support,'” Van Lare said. “Arlington Tech teachers are a strong community who collaborate on shared expectations and supportive structures.”
A selection of dual-enrollment courses is offered at Wakefield, Washington-Liberty and Yorktown high schools. The broader opportunities offered via Arlington Tech are also available to students countywide.
Van Lare said future plans call for incorporating more college-credit coursework.
“We are adding academic classes, like DE Chemistry and DE Comparative Politics, and more degree and certificate pathways, like information technology and nursing,” she said. “In selecting courses, NOVA tracks what classes are easily transferable to four-year colleges, and as a program, we prioritize classes that align with our pathways.”
Reyes took college-level classes both in person and through the online program offered as a partnership between Arlington Public Schools and the community college.
She told ARLnow that achieving success required keeping focused.
“It was hard, but I learned to manage it,” Reyes said. “It was challenging work that was mentally stimulating.”
“There were a lot of projects and group learning,” she added. “I also had to take some classes during the summer to stay on track, but that’s a savings of about $12,000 in NOVA credits per year, and it would cost my mom about $35,000 per year at Virginia Tech.”
Stefanie Cruz, who chairs the Arlington Tech Advisory Board, said the dual-enrollment initiative is a great opportunity that too often is overlooked.
“Our students are accessing Ivy League schools and have great college acceptances,” she said.
Reyes used her NOVA credits to transfer into agriculture and community-leadership studies at Virginia Tech. But she plans to keep her options open.
“I’m going to try new things and see what I ended up liking,” she said. “I’m glad I have the flexibility to do that with my schedule.”
Seven Arlington Tech students were the first to graduate with associate’s degrees in 2021. The number of students increased to 15 in 2023 and 19 in 2025.
Five of the 2025 students graduating with associate’s degrees are first-generation higher-education students.
Arlington Tech is one of 21 school programs in the commonwealth designated at Governor’s STEM Academies for their focus on science, technology, engineering and math. Members of the 2025 graduating class earned more than 200 industry credentials, had 400 college acceptances and were offered more than $7 million in scholarship support.
Each fall, eighth-grade students are brought to the Career Center — soon to be renamed the Grace Hopper Center, when the new building opens next year — to learn about opportunities available, including the dual-enrollment program.
