Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Collegiate High School provides students with support, flexibility to obtain higher education on own terms

There is a consensus among students at Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Collegiate High School: classes are engaging, faculty and staff are supportive, schedules are flexible, and they don’t miss out on high school activities like prom and sports while taking their college-level classes. This is a recipe for success for Gateway’s students, many of whom graduate with both their high school diplomas and college degrees at no cost to them.

“I am the oldest of four children, so I know college can get expensive. Getting my Associate in Arts degree with all the college courses I needed saved my parents a lot of money,” said graduate Kimberly Lopez-Sanchez, who is now enrolled in the Polk State Nursing Program.

The ability for students like Lopez-Sanchez to accelerate their academic and career goals is a key factor in enrolling at Polk State Lakeland Gateway to College Collegiate High School.

Gateway is a charter school for students who have at least 10 high school credits and are no older than 21. Students graduate with anywhere between nine college credits and a bachelor’s degree, demonstrating the true flexibility and at-your-pace learning this collegiate high school provides.

In 2024, nearly half of Gateway’s 136-member class received an AA. The class earned about $1.3 million in scholarships and completed nearly 15,000 hours of community service.

“What sets us apart from the regular high school experience is that you’re [also] getting a college experience,” student Journi Donaldson said. “You don’t have to take extra classes that they [in a traditional high school] put you in. You get the education that you need, not the education they want you to have.

“My advice for any student who’s thinking about coming to Polk State is to think about the career choice that you want to have in your future,” she added.

Gateway specializes in personalized support that guides students on their transitions from high school to either college, the workforce, or the military. Gateway tailors academic plans to meet goals and requirements specific to a student’s academic and career aspirations.

“I would encourage students to come here to Gateway because they’re very one-student based and they help you with what you want to do and get you on that pathway as much as they can,” Lopez-Sanchez said.

Student Noah Hunt echoed the sentiment of his peers, highlighting that students get all the perks of the college experience without missing out on high school traditions such as homecoming and prom, and playing football at his home school.

“It’s so flexible and it’s very catered towards what you need,” he said. “I have to work a lot too and the ability to have the flexible schedule without classes super early or super late…, made it a really nice option for me to come here.”

Gateway’s free, online application for the 2025-2026 Academic Year will open on November 15. Info sessions will be held on November 12 at the Polk State Center for Public Safety at 6:30 p.m., and on January 7 and February 4 on the Lakeland Campus, also at 6:30 p.m. More information is available at www.polk.edu/lakeland-gateway-to-college-high-school.