Like a proud parent, Denise Davis, an associate at the Communities Foundation of Texas, shows off photographs of the Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy whenever she is asked about exciting developments in early-college-high-school programs. Davis, whose statewide foundation helps college-readiness programs get off the ground, has much to brag about: The Gilliam Academy, serving motivated but low-income students, had a graduation rate of 100 percent last year. All students graduate with college credits, and some walk away with associate's degrees.
A 20-minute drive south of downtown Dallas, Gilliam is the Dallas Independent School District's third early-college high school. While its predecessors rent space on existing college campuses, the $21.3 million Gilliam is the first stand-alone college-prep high school built from the ground up in Texas. And it is one of the district's most striking success stories.
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