Pre-Early College and Early College Programs

In 2004, Friendship Public Charter School founded the Early College at Friendship-Collegiate Academy to prepare students for the academic rigors and rewards of higher education. The Early College allows ninth through 12th graders to take college courses at no charge, earn college credits and discover multiple pathways toward college study. Supported by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, the Gates Foundation, the Philip L. Graham Fund and the University of the District of Columbia, the Early College is the first initiative in the District that allows ninth graders to earn a maximum 60 college credits while completing high school diploma requirements.

Ideal preparation for admission to the Early College begins with the Pre-Early College curriculum offered at Friendship’s middle school campuses. The Pre-Early College track exposes sixth through eighth grade students at Woodridge Middle and the Blow Pierce Junior Academy to advanced English strategies and principles in Geometry and Algebra. Classroom instruction is extended with NASA space science camps and other after-school and summer enrichment programs.

In the Early College, high school students balance Friendship’s Honors, Advanced Placement and Career Academy curriculum with college courses offered by the University of the District of Columbia. Courses are taught by tenured professors and cover seven core curriculum areas including literature and arts, historical studies, foreign language, and laboratory science. As Early College students engage in the breadth of university study, they benefit from tutorials, mentorship opportunities, career internships, colloquiums, seminars and lectures. Students emerge from the program with more than exemplary grades – they embody self-discipline, assurance, optimism and an ownership of their educational futures.

Early College Courses

  • Biological Science Lecture & Lab
  • Fundamentals of Chemistry Lecture & Lab
  • Astronomy and Space Science Lecture & Lab
  • Introduction to Anthropology
  • United States History
  • Logic and Critical Reasoning
  • English Composition
  • Intermediate Algebra, Pre-Calculus & Calculus
  • Introduction to Drawing
  • Personal and Community Health

To learn more about the Pre-Early College and Early College, and how your student can apply contact Dr. Arsallah Shairzay at (202) 396-5500 or .