A trend that has been building momentum in recent years is a joint-use partnership model where high schools are developed on community college campuses. In addition to maximizing space, resources, and facilities, younger students are given an early introduction to their post secondary education possibilities.

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Designing a high school on a college campus offers a unique challenge. The process of working with two clients versus one adds a layer of complexity, and often the synergy between two very different organizations that share a common goal can lead to innovative design solutions. What makes these projects distinct is the connection between the high school’s facilities and the larger college campus, which are both physical and programmatic.

For more than 20 years, Middle College High School operated in portable classrooms on the campus of Los Angeles Southwest College. Despite its subpar learning environments, the high school continued to produce some of the highest-achieving students in California. Today, as a result of the collaboration between the Los Angeles Community College District, the Los Angeles Unifi ed School District, and Los Angeles Southwest College, education leaders have a new facility under construction. The main goals of the project are to expand the educational opportunities for the local community and provide a direct link to higher education for secondary students, many of whom are from low-income families.

The new high school will share athletic fields and other campus facilities at the college, which will in turn have access to the high school facilities for after-hours and weekend functions. The design creates a building that belongs to the L.A. Southwest College campus while creating a distinct facility for high school students.

Joint-use partnerships promote healthy growth for school districts, colleges, universities, neighborhoods, and communities. There are numerous benefits to students including expanded learning facilities and resources—and in the case of L.A. Southwest Middle College—a leg up on succeeding after high school.

Read more articles from the Fall/Winter 2010 edition of CC Connections