October 16, 2025 – Four years after the launch of Prep Academy, Decatur Public Schools and Richland Community College – the collaborators behind the program – are celebrating the graduation of the first 25 students. With this success, the institutions are looking ahead to strengthen this dual enrollment program and duplicate it across the entire district.
Launched in 2021, the Prep Academy is a unique, tuition-free, dual-enrollment program in partnership between Decatur Public Schools District #61 and Richland Community College that allows high school students enrolled to earn both a high school diploma and an associate’s degree simultaneously over four years; beginning in their freshman year of high school.
In May of 2025, 25 students in cohort 1 graduated from the inaugural group. Together, the students earned more than 1,500 college credit hours, and the graduates had an average Richland GPA of 3.09 with many receiving academic honors. The program saved each graduate an estimated $26,000 in public college tuition.
Ashley Grayned has championed the program since the very beginning. She says, “Decatur Public Schools is appreciative to Richland Community College for partnering to provide the students in the Prep Academy Program the opportunity to successfully complete an early college program. These students entered the program as 14-year-old high school students and freshmen in college and graduated as 18-year-old high school students with a diploma, associate degree, and transferable skills to allow them to transition right into universities all over the country. We are beyond proud of the dedication of the Prep Academy Students from Cohort 1. They are all truly trailblazers!”
Statewide, dual credit and dual enrollment programs have been exploding at community colleges. According to the Illinois Community College Board, more than 91,000 high school students were enrolled in one or more community college credit courses in their fiscal year 2024. And about one in five students taking one or more courses at Illinois community colleges were a high school dual credit student.
Because of this trend – along with the success of the Prep Academy’s first graduating class – Richland Community College is placing a focus on increasing opportunities for high school students across the district. In addition to Prep Academy, the College offers several pathways for high school students: Heartland Technical Academy for those interested in the trades, Transfer Academy for juniors and seniors who spend half their school day at Richland, and Dual Credit for students aiming to earn college credits before graduating high school. Looking ahead, Richland is reaching out to other local high schools to create more opportunities for high schoolers seeking dual credit.
Cris Valdez, the President of Richland Community College, explains “The collaborative effort of Richland Community College and Decatur Public Schools to create the Prep Academy is extraordinary. However, the energy, persistence and tenacity of these students outshines all. These young people achieved at high levels and the graduation rate of the first cohort, at 54% nearly doubles the national average for completion.”
