Reedley Middle College High earns state honor for dual enrollment program

Reedley Middle College High School has earned statewide recognition for a program that lets students work toward a diploma and college credit at the same time, with no added cost for tuition, textbooks or college fees while they are still in high school.

On March 23, the California Department of Education named the Kings Canyon Unified public charter school one of 32 California Exemplary Dual Enrollment Schools for 2026. Reedley Middle College High was the only Fresno County school on the list, and the honor will stay with the school for two years.

The award matters because it points to a model that is already changing the math for local families. Reedley Middle College High opened in August 2012 as a partnership between Reedley College and Kings Canyon Unified School District, and it sits on the Reedley College campus. The school’s profile lists 267 students for the 2025-26 school year, all of them moving through a system built to get them started on college work before graduation.

California’s dual-enrollment award is not a ceremonial badge. Schools had to show collaboration among the high school, the college, families, community members and industry partners, along with evidence of equity, alignment between the college and district, dual credit for graduation, outcome data, pathways and student supports. That makes Reedley’s recognition less about prestige than about whether the program can consistently deliver a real payoff for students.

At Reedley Middle College High, that payoff shows up in money saved and time shaved off a degree. The school says students earn college credit toward an associate degree while still in high school, and that textbooks and college fees are waived. Leaders say that structure can save families thousands of dollars and gives students an earlier start on the coursework they will need later.

The school also leans hard on advising. A traditional high school counselor and a Reedley College counselor work on campus so students can plan classes, careers and long-term goals from freshman year onward. Students choose a guided pathway when they enroll, and the school currently lists Agricultural Business and General Education. The Ag Business path also connects students to an additional scholarship opportunity from The Wonderful Company if they transfer to a four-year university.

Those pathways follow Cal-GETC, which can satisfy lower-division requirements for University of California and California State University admission. Reedley Middle College High also offers Bulldog Bound, Fresno State’s guaranteed-admissions program for Kings Canyon Unified students. Under that program, students must earn at least a C in college-preparatory classes and keep a minimum 2.5 grade-point average.

The school’s recognition adds to an already strong record. Reedley Middle College High was named a California Distinguished School in 2026, 2024 and 2021, and in 2016-17 it shared the Exemplary Program Award from the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, the first middle college high school in California recognized for outstanding student support services.

For Fresno County, the lesson is straightforward: when a high school, a community college and a district share space, advising and expectations, students can leave with more than a diploma. They can leave with college credit, clearer majors and a cheaper path to a degree.