Photography by Alex Maness

There’s a well-kept secret hiding just off Friendly Avenue. It’s housed in a modest, tan-colored building at the edge of the Guilford College campus. It’s a secret you’ve probably driven by numerous times without even realizing.

The secret is The Early College at Guilford, an award-winning magnet school that keeps an incredibly low profile. For the past two years, Newsweek has put The Early College near the top of its “Best Public High Schools” list. And just last month, U.S. News & World Report ranked it the 17th best public high school in the country. The school rankings were largely compiled by measuring the number of Advanced Placement (A.P.) tests given in relation to the number of seniors enrolled. Since higher learning is The Early College’s specialty, the school naturally made a high grade. But despite its recent accolades, it still seems to be largely overlooked, especially on a local level.

“It’s kind of a running joke around here,” says Kim Spell, the school’s counselor. “We’ll hear the students say, ‘You know you’re an Early College student when Newsweek ranks you one of the top schools in country, but most people in Guilford County don’t even know you exist.’ ”

While the lack of public recognition is somewhat baffling, the anonymity sits just fine with Principal Charles Blanchard. After all, The Early College isn’t the bragging type.

“We try not to publicize [the ranking] too much or use it as a recruiting tool,” he says. “I think it just puts added pressure on the kids and takes away from the Early College experience.”

The “Early College experience” Blanchard speaks of is as stimulating as it is unique. Although freshmen and sophomores are enrolled in a fairly structured curriculum — which includes a number of Honors and A.P. classes — the experience takes a dramatic shift when students become upperclassmen.

“By the time our students are in the eleventh grade, they become full-time Guilford College students,” Blanchard says. “They’re in regular college courses with regular college students, and are typically the best and brightest in the class.” The students don’t announce themselves as Early College students or wear Early College T-shirts. Instead, they’re simply mixed into the college environment.

The advantages with this style of learning are far-reaching. For starters, the students develop particularly close relationships with their professors. In fact, the students are on a first-name basis with most of them. The students are also taught in much smaller classes, with approximately 10 to 15 students. Combine this with exceptional internship, club, and volunteer opportunities, and the possibilities seem limitless.

Arguably the biggest advantage, however, is the college credit students accrue during their junior and senior years. Because they’re taking college courses, they’re awarded transferable credit. By the time they graduate, Early College students typically amass between 70 and 75 hours of credit which can be put toward an undergraduate degree at Guilford College or transferred to another college or university.

But while the learning environment gives students a collegiate head start, the most gratifying part of being an Early College enrollee — at least according to students — is the freedom.

“You have a lot more freedom here, definitely,” says student Audrey Smith. “At my old high school, you would get questioned for going to the bathroom without a pass. Here that’s not the case.

“But,” the 16-year-old counters, “you have to be responsible with your freedom. Being a student here definitely helps you develop your time-management skills.”

According to Blanchard, those time-management skills come in handy later in life when the students are pursuing college degrees on their own.

That’s well on down the road, though. While gifted academically, the 200 students enrolled at The Early College are still teenagers, and are still entitled to a bit of fun every now and then. Realizing this, Blanchard and staff try to give them plenty of opportunities outside of academics. This includes playing sports, joining clubs, performing in musical ensembles, and going to school dances — things customary in traditional high schools.

Like others their age, most Early College students are simply searching for a place where they belong. Fortunately, most of them have found it inside a modest building at the edge of the Guilford College campus.

“The students here tend to grow especially close,” Blanchard says. “Since they’re all going through the same unique experience, they really have no choice but to bond together.

“The environment has always reminded me of a summer camp,” the principal continues. “The students might be from different backgrounds and different cultures, but here, they all just kind of meld together.” 

The Early College at Guilford will be holding an open house from 10 to 11 a.m. on January 26 and on February 11. Both will be held in the Bryan Jr. Auditorium at Guilford College. To register, or to find out more about the school, call Kim Spell at 336-316-2816. To view the school’s Web site, go to the magnet school section of http://www.gcsnc.com.