Impact Report: Successfully transitioning

A female student shakes hands with a woman at a ceremony.
An MPS high school senior is greeted by the leaders of MPS, UWM and MATC during the College Connections ceremony in May 2019.

The M3 College Connections program graduated 94 students in June 2021, up from 54 graduates in 2020 and 32 in 2019. College Connections students are high school seniors who can earn up to 21 transferable college credits by taking classes as a group at both MATC and UWM. The fast-growing program is serving 120 MPS high school seniors this school year.

From the 2021 class of College Connections dual enrollment students, 72% entered college after high school graduation. This exceeded the national averages of 66% for women and 59% for men, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  • College Connections graduates have already saved nearly $750,000 in college costs by earning credits while still in high school.
  • Graduates are also demonstrating readiness to attend college by going beyond what Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate coursework can provide. College Connections students take classes on college campuses taught by college instructors.
  • M3 continued to offer its Milwaukee Parent Institute (MPI) during the COVID-19 pandemic with a virtual option for families. More than 100 parents participated in virtual sessions. Both virtual and in-person sessions will be offered in 2021–22.
  • The MPI has served more than 1,000 parents and guardians across 26 MPS high schools.