Dual enrollment is one of the fastest growing educational trends in California, and now Piedmont Unified School District is joining the ranks of high schools partnering with local community colleges to offer college-level classes to students. At the June 11 Board of Education meeting, PUSD Assistant Superintendent Ariel Dolowich said that approximately 37 percent of high school seniors in California in 2025 had participated in dual enrollment programs, and every district surrounding Piedmont has a dual enrollment agreement in place.
Piedmont plans to offer Calculus 3 during sixth period this fall; twenty-two students have already signed up, Dolowich said, and Berkeley City College is providing the instructor. Next spring PHS will host a Business Entrepreneurship class and possibly another advanced math class, Discrete Mathematics.
Dolowich said that future course offerings would be determined by student and parent interest and that the programs would not have an adverse impact on district staff.
The School Board was unanimous in its support for the new offering. “I am thrilled that we are finally bringing dual enrollment to our district — we have been behind the curve,” said School Board President Lindsay Thomasson, “It’s a win for our students.”
The Board of Education in December 2024 approved a proposal for entering into a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) agreement with the Peralta Colleges in order to create dual enrollment opportunities for high school students in Piedmont.
The four Peralta Colleges are Merritt College, Laney College, College of Alameda, and Berkeley City College.
Dual enrollment gives high school students the opportunity to take college courses taught by college professors at their high school campus and earn college credit while still in high school. This opportunity also affords students the opportunity to take courses that they otherwise would not have access to.