For many students, getting into college is just the beginning – staying enrolled and crossing the finish line is a whole other challenge. Nationwide, only about half of students who begin college earn a degree within six years, often due to financial pressures, work and family demands, and unclear paths to graduation. *
Dual enrollment programs help improve those odds by letting students earn college credit in high school, while building the skills and confidence that make the leap to college smoother.
“It’s a great opportunity for high school students to save money and get a head start in college,” said Adam Eynon, a former high school teacher, K12 administrator, and now Director of Dual Enrollment at Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) in South Lake Tahoe. “And it’s not just for students in AP classes – it’s for any student who wants to take control of their education.”
But as Eynon knows firsthand, enrolling in the program can be tough for students to navigate. It requires completing the CCCApply admissions application along with consent forms signed by the student, parents, and school counselor. Over the years, he has seen students fail to receive college credit because their forms were incomplete – or give up on the application altogether. With counselors often supporting hundreds of students, making sure they complete every step correctly is a constant challenge.
Then an unexpected connection with siblings Ryan Foulke and Chelsea Torres – both former dual enrollment students themselves – sparked a partnership that turned a long-standing pain point into a practical solution.
An Unexpected Tech Partnership
Foulke and Torres are co-founders of EdXcelerate, an early-stage technology startup focused on simplifying the educational planning process for students, parents, and school administrators.
Growing up in Mammoth Lakes, Torres completed high school in three years with a year of college coursework already under her belt. A few years later, her brother went even further to become the first student at his school to graduate with an associate degree.
“We both saw how much dual enrollment benefited us,” Foulke said. “It allowed us to move faster and open doors earlier.”
After college, Torres became a kindergarten teacher while Foulke worked as a designer and researcher for major technology companies. But their shared experience with dual enrollment stayed with them – and eventually inspired them to launch EdXcelerate. “It really started with the idea of equity and access for students to be in dual enrollment,” Torres said.
EdXcelerate’s platform initially focused on helping students build academic plans based on their college and career aspirations. But after listening to Eynon’s challenges, the siblings partnered with him to remove the barriers that keep students from participating in dual enrollment.
Simplifying the Student Experience
With Eynon’s guidance and input, the EdXcelerate team developed a streamlined, user-friendly dual enrollment application that directly maps students’ answers to CCCApply requirements. Automated text reminders also prompt students and parents to submit required consent forms electronically, eliminating the need for paper forms.
“Our Dual Enrollment team has always been determined to not allow any student to fall through the cracks, but it would take months for us to gather every single parent consent form and get all students to submit an application on CCCApply,” said Eynon. “With EdXcelerate it now only takes a couple of weeks, with 90% of it being completed in just a couple of days.”
At Nevada Union High School, one of LTCC’s partner schools, using the streamlined application form resulted in increased enrollments in their culinary program by 42 percent over three years. This early partnership with LTCC has also provided the blueprint for EdXcelerate’s partnerships with other community colleges and high schools in California.
For Eynon, it’s also about opening doors for more students, especially those who may not see college as an option. “We’re in the business of helping our students,” he said. “Giving them the exposure and confidence to navigate college before they even finish high school can make all the difference.”
*Source: National Student Clearinghouse, 2025
March 2026