Juniors and seniors at Ardrey Kell and Ballantyne Ridge high schools can earn college credits for free through a statewide program that has grown nearly ninefold in a decade.
North Carolina's Career and College Promise program, known as CCP, enrolled about 95,000 students statewide in 2024-25, The Assembly reported. That is up from 78,800 the year before and just 11,000 in 2014.
Both Ardrey Kell and Ballantyne Ridge are listed as partner schools with Central Piedmont Community College. CMS pays tuition and student fees for fall and spring semesters, according to the program's enrollment page. Students cover textbooks, though Ardrey Kell's CCP page notes a $50 Barnes & Noble credit is available when funds allow.
Who qualifies
At Ardrey Kell, students must be juniors or seniors on track for graduation with a minimum 2.8 unweighted GPA to enter the College Transfer pathway, according to the school's CCP page. Students who don't meet the GPA threshold may still qualify for Career and Technical Education, or CTE, pathways with a principal's recommendation.
The program offers more than 50 CTE pathways plus four College Transfer pathways that satisfy general education requirements at four-year universities. Credits earned with a grade of C or higher in approved transfer courses are accepted by all University of North Carolina system institutions.
CCP courses also carry weight in high school. Each course of three or more semester hours earns one unit of high school credit and one additional quality point in the GPA calculation.
What the data shows
The financial payoff can be significant. A 2026 North Carolina Department of Public Instruction report found students with CTE credentials earned 14% higher cumulative wages over seven years compared to students without those credentials. College Transfer students earned 7% more over the same period.
One Durham-area graduate, Paisley Russell, finished Riverside High School in spring 2026 with an associate's degree in science from Durham Technical Community College. She entered UNC Greensboro as a junior and stands to save more than $15,000 in tuition if she finishes her bachelor's degree in two years.
"Absolutely, do it," Russell told The Assembly. "When you look back at it, you're gonna have no regrets, and especially if you want to go into a rigorous career, it sets you up very well."
New state funding
North Carolina lawmakers allocated $57.5 million in recurring funds this budget year for a new community college funding model called Propel NC, according to EdNC. The model rewards colleges for programs that lead to jobs in high-demand sectors such as health care, technology and trades, rather than compensating them based solely on enrollment numbers.
Demand for accelerated college programs in CMS is also climbing. Deputy Superintendent Melissa Balknight said in March 2026 that more than 1,300 students were on the waitlist for the district's early college programs for the 2026-27 school year, WFAE reported.
What to know before enrolling
Students must arrange their own rides to CPCC campuses. Parking at Ardrey Kell is not guaranteed for dual enrollment students.
Ardrey Kell students planning to enroll in CCP for spring 2027 must complete all application steps by Tuesday, Dec. 1, to guarantee course placement.
