TYLER, Texas — Just in time for the first day of school, Tyler ISD will welcome the district's Early College High School students into a brand new building Wednesday morning.
"In case you hadn't heard, Early College High School is the number one high school, according to U.S. World Report," said Amanda Hortman, principal for Tyler ISD’s Early College High School.
The new campus for ECHS was funded through an $89 million bond that voters approved in May 2022.
Hortman said the success of this program has shot interest and enrollment up. Early College High School is a program designed to give students the opportunity to earn an associate's degree from Tyler Junior College when they graduate from high school.
The new building -- located right next to the Career and Technology Center -- is larger than the campus' previous building with upgrades to technology to ensure a comfortable learning environment for students and teachers.
"It makes me feel comfortable as a student here in comparison to how it used to be and I feel like it puts us on the map as who Early College really is," ECHS junior Irving Degollado said. "It makes me proud to say that this is number one school in East Texas."