Power of 15 Expands Post-Secondary Options for Bunker Hill Students

BUNKER HILL - A few years ago, Bunker Hill High School was determined to find a way to address a decline in students pursuing post-secondary education and prepare them for successful careers.

"We were faced with the same problems a lot of schools were having," said Superintendent Todd Dugan. "Under half of our student body was continuing to pursue post-secondary education. We also noticed our high school students were disengaged regarding experiences that were relevant to the real world."

Dugan came across research conducted by Good Reason Houston, an education nonprofit that partners with school districts to improve public education and ensure every child has access to a high-quality learning environment. It showed that high school graduates with a bachelor's degree were 3.8 times more likely to earn a living wage than high school graduates with no credential, and those with professional certifications were 3 times more likely. While that data centered on Texas schools, similar studies can be applied locally as well.

According to a recent economic impact report from the Illinois Community College Board, Illinois students who complete post-secondary education gain an average of $4.30 in higher future earnings for every $1 invested in their education, for a rate of return around 15 percent.

The Good Reason Houston report concluded that students taking five college-level courses while still in high school were about 22 percent more likely to have post-secondary success. Out of that, the idea for "The Power of 15" was born.

Dugan modeled the program from a school doing something similar in the suburbs of Chicago. He was working with a smaller district and less access to funding, but still pitched the Power of 15 program as a pilot to the Bunker Hill CUSD 8 School Board, which agreed to move forward.

To incentivize students to take college-level courses while still in high school, the program covers tuition for up to 15 college credit hours at Lewis and Clark for qualifying juniors and seniors while they are still enrolled at Bunker Hill High School. Students and their families are expected to cover fees and supplies.

Students must carry a GPA of 2.75 or higher to qualify for the program. Because some of the classes are on the college's campus, online or in the evenings, students are required to check in with the high school once per week, or they risk getting dropped for non-attendance.

If they are unsuccessful, whether due to grades or non-attendance, they owe the tuition money back to the district.

To build their schedules, which are typically a mix of high school and college courses, the students work closely with Bunker Hill High School Counselor Theresa Dissen and Lewis and Clark High School Liaison Cora Gill to ensure they're taking the right credits and putting together a schedule that works for them.

Bunker Hill High School also offers dual credit courses through LC's High School Partnership program. That program allows students to earn college credit through courses taught by Master's degree-qualified high school teachers on the high school's campus. Dual credit courses cost a fee of $10 per credit hour currently, which makes them cost-effective for students and families, but smaller districts often struggle to maintain a large number of those offerings due to Illinois Community College Board requirements around who meets the qualifications to teach those courses. The ICCB guidelines on teacher qualifications ensure academic rigor and the curriculum taught matches what a student would receive in a college course.

Concurrent enrollment courses cost $136 per credit hour, plus fees, for in-district students. The Power of 15 removes that tuition cost burden from students and their families and allows the high school to expand their post-secondary offerings.

The Power of 15 just ended its second pilot year in May. In year one, there were 11 students. This past year, Dugan said that number grew to 24.

Currently, the district budgets around $10,000 per year to support the initiative.

Dugan says the upcoming 2026-2027 academic year will probably be the last pilot year for the program, after which a thorough cost analysis will be completed, and he will likely advocate to expand it even further.

So far, anecdotal feedback from students has been very positive.

"One student said the program was the best thing to happen to her," Dugan said.

The Power of 15 program is also shedding light on the district's positive relationship with Lewis and Clark Community College and raising awareness of the college's presence and what it has to offer district residents.

"We appreciate having such a good relationship with the college," Dugan said.

Lewis and Clark President Ken Trzaska said Bunker Hill deserves credit for this investment in their students and community, and their innovative effort to remove barriers to higher education for their students.

"We're proud to stand alongside them and support a vision that's creating real opportunity and success," Trzaska said.