ASHLAND — The path to a college degree begins long before graduation.
Hundreds of Ashland City Schools students are already earning college credit while still in high school through the district’s partnership with North Central State College. The partnership has continued to grow, making Ashland the college’s largest College Credit Plus partner.
Ashland students completed 4,554 college credits through the program during the past three school years. The program’s participation grew 28 percent from the 2023-24 school year to 2025-26, according to NCSC representatives at the Ashland City Schools Board of Education meeting Monday.
A total of 440 Ashland students participated in the program during the three-year period.
College Credit Plus allows Ohio students to earn college credit while still in high school. NCSC representatives said they want to help students take courses that support their academic and career goals.
North Central State Vice President Kelly Gray said the college has spent the past year helping students identify courses that transfer into meaningful pathways.
“We want to make sure that they get something that’s targeted for them and their future rather than just random acts of CCP,” Gray said.
Caree Bash, dean of access and enrollment at North Central State, said students and families often have plenty of educational opportunities available to them but may struggle to understand how those options fit together.
“We know that there are a lot of resources out there,” Bash said. “Trying to understand what all of those are, it’s a lot.”
Its College-NOW program allows some students to attend college full time during their junior and senior years of high school. Students can earn an associate degree before receiving their high school diploma.
The college offers programs in areas including business, engineering and bioscience.
School Board President Pam Mowry said she wished similar opportunities had been available when her children were in school.
“I’ve paid a lot of college tuition over the years,” Mowry said. “I only wish that this would have been available at the time our boys were going through school because it’s very significant.”
NCSC awarded a combined $111,099 through its Tuition Freedom Scholarship and Choose Ohio First grants to 28 former NCSC College Credit Plus students from the 2023 through 2025 graduating classes.
North Central State President Dorey Diab said affordability is a top priority for the college and its students.
“Seventy percent of our students don’t get loans because of the affordability,” Diab said. “Especially with the College-NOW program, they’re saving themselves and their parents two years’ worth of college.”
NCSC’s representatives said the goal is to help students use their college credits toward a degree or career. They plan to continue helping students and families understand which options best fit their futures.
Other business
The board approved girls flag football as an official sport at Ashland High School. The district will also add head coaching and assistant coaching positions for the program.
Superintendent Steve Paramore also reminded residents about the district’s operating levy renewal, which will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot. The renewal generates about $5.6 million annually for district operations and would not increase taxes.
