The first day of school in Beaufort County was in full swing Thursday as the county’s Early College High School welcomed 232 students, its highest enrollment since the school opened.

The school, which holds classes in buildings five and 10 of Beaufort County Community College, is the first in Beaufort County to start the 2014-2015 school year. Students at BCECHS start about two weeks earlier than other students in the county. This year, the school welcomed its highest enrollment — 232 students — since the school opened, with a 65-student freshmen class.

BCECHS Principal Emily Pake and other administration greeted students getting off the buses as they returned for their first day of the new school year. Students were aided in navigating their schedules and didn’t waste any time getting down to business for their first classes of the year.

Pake said the school has received a bump in applications this year, which shows rising interest in the school and what it offers. Beaufort County Schools Superintendent Dr. Don Phipps echoed Pake’s comments. There is an administrative team that goes out and recruits eighth grade students in the county, Phipps said. Students are selected based on a rubric and an interviewing process. The school also has a waiting list due to its 250-student limit.

“There is a lot more knowledge and understanding about our Early College program,” Phipps said. “Application numbers are high, and it’s a highly sought after place for students to be. I think part of that is the faculty, the administration, the work that’s being done here and the quality of education that students receive. It’s always exciting for me—it’s what we’ve prepared for the entire year. It’s a good feeling to think about the promises of a new year and what could be.”

BCCC President Barbara Tansey said although the students start ahead of their counterparts in other high schools across the county, they get out of school earlier. Students at BCECHS finish their year on May 28, about two weeks earlier than other students in the county.

BCECHS provides its students with a rigorous, yet supportive environment, challenging them and preparing them for post secondary success, Pake said. The school targets first-generation college-bound students, and graduates of the program, which is tuition-free, will earn a high school diploma and an associate’s degree from the college. This year, the school hopes to graduate 36 students or more in May, Pake said.

“It was a smooth day,” Pake said. “We’ve seen that the interest has grown in Beaufort County and we are excited about that. We look forward to our new group and our graduating class.”

BCECHS Junior Casey Powell said she looks forward to continuing her education at the school and getting a head start on her college coursework. Powell started at the school as a freshman and is working towards a degree to be a nurse practitioner, she said.

“I get a head start above everyone else,” Powell said. “I go into a university setting, knowing what it’s like already so I’m not just pushed into anything. I am just going towards my regular associates degree in arts and hopefully I will transfer into ECU as a freshman with sophomore and junior credits.”