K-12 Connections

According to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s (WICHE’s) Knocking at the College Door report (2012), Wyoming will see a decline in the production of high school graduates through 2015, but then will witness a dramatic increase through 2025. Evidenced by the high numbers of elementary school students in LCCC’s service region, it is likely the College’s service area will be impacted by this increase. 

LCCC partners with three school districts; two within Laramie County and one in Albany County. LCCC has concurrent and dual enrollment agreements with all three districts, provides transitional advising and a Partnership Diploma Program in Laramie County School District No1 (LCSD1). LCCC and LCSD1 have also identified and documented career pathway roadmaps that help students identify a career pathway beginning in 9th grade. 

LCSD1 is the largest of the LCCC partner districts. In the 2012/2013 school year, Laramie County School District No. 1 (LCSD1) enrollment was 13,299. LCSD1 had a 71.97 percent graduation rate in 2010/2011. Laramie County School District No.2 (LCSD2) is located in the southeast corner of Wyoming in eastern Laramie County and houses two high schools, one in Burns and one in Pine Bluffs. In 2009/2010, LCSD2 experienced an 83.05 percent graduation rate. Albany County School District No.1 (ACSD1) is a public school district based in Laramie, Wyoming and serves the cities of Laramie and Rock River. In 2009/2010, ACSD1 experienced an 86.86 percent graduation rate. 

Through these partnerships, a number of opportunities have been identified that support strengthening the seamless transitioning between secondary and post-secondary education within our districts. For example, with a new Laramie High School building being completed in the near future and its proximity to the Albany County Campus, potential exists for developing early college career academies and growing dual enrollment. In addition ACSD1 is interested in providing students the opportunity to complete their associate degree while still in high school through a stronger partnership with LCCC. Along the same lines, LCSD1 and LCSD2, in partnership with LCCC, are exploring the establishment of a Board of Cooperative Higher Education Service (BOCHES) in order to expand opportunities for seamless transitioning from secondary to post-secondary education through concurrent and dual enrollment while also addressing articulation and remediation issues. Last, LCSD2 has expressed a desire to partner more closely with LCCC to bring more diversity in early college offerings by potentially bringing faculty and other resources from the LCCC Cheyenne campus to Eastern Laramie County.