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New Cabarrus County high school will provide college credits for health careers

Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, located at Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord
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Atrium Health

Cabarrus County Schools will open a new college-based high school in August in partnership with Atrium Health.

The early college high school will be located at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences in Concord, which is part of Atrium Health Cabarrus. Students will be able to earn college credits at no charge and stay up to five years while preparing for careers in health sciences.

College-based high schools are part of a statewide push to prepare first-generation college students and students of color for success in higher education and careers. North Carolina currently has 133 high schools located on university and community college campuses. That includes two in Cabarrus County and about 20 in the Charlotte region.

Career paths in the new Cabarrus school include nursing, occupational therapy, surgical technology and medical assisting. Students will be able to graduate in five years with an associate degree or credits to reduce the time and cost of pursuing a four-year degree.

Copyright 2022 WFAE. To see more, visit WFAE.

Ann Doss Helms covers education for WFAE. She was a reporter for The Charlotte Observer for 32 years, including 16 years on the education beat. She has repeatedly won first place in education reporting from the North Carolina Press Association and won the 2015 Associated Press Senator Sam Open Government Award for reporting on charter school salaries.