| NMUSD/CCC Early College High School | |
| Established | 2006 |
| School type | Public |
| Principal | Kathy Slawson |
| Location | Costa Mesa, California |
| Enrollment | up to 400 |
| Colors | Light blue/Black/White |
| Homepage | ECHS |
Early College High School is a bold approach, based on the principle that academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money, is a powerful motivator for students to work hard and meet serious intellectual challenges. Early College High Schools blend high school and college in a rigorous yet supportive program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college.
Early College High Schools are small schools from which students graduate with not only a high school diploma but also an Associate’s degree or up to two years of college credit toward a Bachelor’s degree. By changing the structure of the high school years and compressing the number of years to a college degree, Early College High Schools can improve graduation rates and better prepare students for entry into high-skill careers.
Early College High School, otherwise known as "ECHS", is a collaborative effort between the Newport-Mesa Unified School District and Coastline Community College. It is a public high school for grades 9 through 12 located in Costa Mesa, California. It is located at 2990 Mesa Verde Drive East in Costa Mesa, CA. Previously it being at Backbay/ Monte Vista High School Campus.
Newport-Mesa USD/Coastline Community College Early College High School opened in August 2006. The program is structured to provide successful, challenging, and meaningful experiences for students. ECHS is an academic program intended to enable students to pursue post-secondary education at a community college, four-year college, or university.
Students are offered not only the opportunity to earn a high school diploma and meet university entrance requirements, but they also take college courses for which they receive college units through concurrent enrollment.
ECHS has a maximum population of one hundred students per grade level, allowing for smaller class sizes, frequent opportunities for individual participation, and personalized attention from faculty and staff. All the environment are cool but the students lack teachers expectations.