Flexibility meets opportunity: Transforming small and nontraditional schools through Accelerate ASU

Dual enrollment has long been celebrated for its ability to bridge the gap between high school and college, offering students a head start on earning credits and preparing for higher education. Research shows a strong impact on college readiness, with 81% of dual enrollment students enrolling in college within one year of high school graduation compared to ~70% of students overall. 

Yet many schools, especially those with unique structures or missions, face logistical challenges in providing these opportunities. Barriers such as teacher shortages, limited resources and the demand for diverse course options make dual enrollment difficult to implement. Plus, many nontraditional students require flexibility to suit their personal or academic situations—adding another layer of complexity. Enter Accelerate ASU, one of the nation’s largest university dual enrollment providers.

Partnering with more than 400 public, private, charter and international schools since its inception, Arizona State University’s dual enrollment program serves over 10,000 students annually. Designed for flexibility and accessibility, Accelerate ASU integrates into existing school models while expanding academic options for students. From supporting a tennis player’s NCAA eligibility to enabling a small Jewish academy to combine rigorous academics with cultural values, the program shows how it takes tailored solutions to meet dynamic educational needs.

Three nontraditional schools—Christa McAuliffe Academy School of Arts and Sciences, Online G3 and Arizona Jewish Academy—are leveraging Accelerate ASU to create empowering opportunities for their students. Each school brings its own distinct goals and challenges, but all are experiencing positive impacts toward advancing student engagement and college readiness.

Meeting diverse needs at Christa McAuliffe Academy

At Christa McAuliffe Academy School of Arts and Sciences, flexibility and personalization are crucial. Serving a student population across the globe, CMASAS operates on an asynchronous model that allows students to learn at their own pace. Accelerate ASU’s adaptable model was a natural and easy choice as the school’s dual enrollment partner. 

“Flexibility is huge,” Heidi Fox, director of counseling at CMASAS. “Most of the students who come to us have specific flexibility needs. Some of them, their parents are travelers and need to move around a lot. Some of our students have medical issues. Some of our students are competitive athletes, and they need a very flexible schedule.”

Accelerate ASU complements these priorities by helping students take the reins in their education. In several cases, students have met unique life challenges through the program, including a student who needed more credits to pursue her tennis career. Courses can be completed as quickly as six weeks.

“We had a student whose freshman year was in Brazil, but for some reason her credits weren’t accepted by the NCAA,” shared Fox. “She took three or four ASU classes over the summer, finished them, got those to the NCAA and started on time this fall to play tennis.”

Expanding possibilities for gifted learners at Online G3

Small schools and homeschool families often face challenges in offering advanced courses, particularly in STEM or college-level writing. Online G3, which serves gifted and geographically dispersed students, previously relied on AP-level textbooks but struggled to provide a true dual enrollment experience. Accelerate ASU has stepped in to meet that need.

“ASU has an amazing online program and no age restrictions,” says Jaime Smith, founder and CEO of Online G3. “Some of our students are really young to be taking college courses… It just gave us that flexibility to do whatever our kids needed, even if their needs were highly unusual.”

The program also eases the stress of starting college early, since students can try courses without worrying about permanent transcripts. “Perfectionism is a real challenge for our students,” Smith adds. “[Accelerate ASU] let them test the waters without committing to the whole college experience.”

Since they started facilitating the program in summer 2021, more than 100 students have participated across nearly 300 classes total. Ninety percent passed and became credit-eligible, and about 65% earned A grades.

Most Online G3 students thrive, gaining the confidence to take additional courses after succeeding in their first—and some even continue their journey further. “We’ve had a couple of students now who have rolled right into online ASU degree programs,” Smith says. “So it’s definitely been great for our students.”

Combining core values and academic excellence at Arizona Jewish Academy

At Arizona Jewish Academy, a high school in Arizona, values matter just as much as academic excellence. Here, keeping cultural priorities while meeting the academic needs of high-achieving students has always been a careful balance. As a new and growing school, the challenge was to provide advanced coursework without compromising its mission.

Accelerate ASU was a solution that fit well, enabling AJA to expand academic opportunities while staying true to its unique identity. 

“Partnering with ASU allows us to offer advanced learning as we continue to grow,” explained Dr. Ariella Friedman, AJA Board Chair. “And it lets students stay within a Jewish day school environment, which is very important for our families.”

By partnering with Accelerate ASU, AJA has shown that smaller schools can deliver exceptional academic opportunities without sacrificing the values that define their community. And, for many students, the confidence gained from tackling college-level courses has translated to their overall academic performance.

“I think the students that have risen to the challenge have really gained a lot of confidence and they’re doing very well,” said AJA Rabbi Eli Sneiderman. “It’s kind of shifted over into the rest of their courses. So we’re very happy to have this resource.”

“What makes Accelerate ASU unique is our commitment to meeting schools where they are—whether that means supporting a small homeschool network or partnering with larger institutions,” explains Audrey Moreno, senior director of national bridge partnerships at ASU. “It’s about flexibility, but also about ensuring every student has a real chance to thrive in higher education.”