One of the fastest growing demographics at Michigan colleges is high school students

Alcona High School isn’t what you’d call big. It’s located in a not-very-populous stretch of northern Michigan, a few miles from Lake Huron in one direction, a few miles from the Huron National Forest in the other.

But its students are studying criminal justice, calculus and concrete technology, taking college-level courses in Western civilization, physics and anatomy.

That’s because most of Alcona’s juniors and seniors are already enrolled in college.

“We’re a small school, and there’s only so many electives you can offer,” said Megan VanKoningsveld, the school’s career and college counselor.

Alcona’s solution has been dual enrollment, allowing students to take college courses at the district’s expense, mostly at Alpena Community College and mostly through a early college program that