COLUMBUS, Ohio – The number of Ohio high school students who are dually enrolled in courses to earn college credit continues to rise, although participation in Cuyahoga and Summit counties was lower than other parts of the state, according to a recent report from the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

Ohio’s dual enrollment program is called College Credit Plus. Students enroll in courses for free – sometimes taught on nearby college campuses, sometimes offered at the high school by teachers who meet adjunct college faculty requirements, and sometimes online. Textbooks are also free, and students earn both high school and college credits.

The latest Department of Higher Education report shows a 5.3% increase in College Credit Plus enrollment, to 80,163 students in grades 9-12, in the 2022-2023 school year. College Credit Plus began in the 2015-2016 school year, with 53,273 students, although another dual-enrollment program existed before then, dating back to 1989.

Students and families in the 2022-2023 year saved $193 million in college tuition through College Credit Plus. The report estimates over $1 billion in all has been saved in the eight years of the program.

The following was College Credit Plus participation in Northeast Ohio:

-Cuyahoga County: 9%, or 5,000 students out of 58,399 students in grades 9-12

-Summit County: 7%, or 2,012 of 26,906 students in 9-12

-Lorain County: 15%, or 2,341 of 15,112 students in 9-12

-Lake County: 10%, or 1,082 of 10,810 students in 9-12

-Medina County: 14%, or 1,308 of 9,099 students in 9-12

-Geauga County: 11%, or 510 of 4,839 students in 9-12

-Portage County: 9%, or 576 of 6,621 students in 9-12

Putnam County in northwest Ohio had the highest participation, with 33% of its students in grades 9-12 dually enrolled, followed by Washington County in eastern Ohio with 30%, and Hancock County in northwest Ohio with 29%.

Hamilton County had the lowest percent of dually enrolled students in 2022-2023, at 5%. Summit and Ashtabula counties tied for second lowest at 7%.

READ MORE: State announces $3 million to prep high school teachers to teach college courses

Ohio Auditor Keith Faber looked at College Credit Plus in detail in August 2022 and made several recommendations for improvement.

“Despite the obvious benefits of College Credit Plus, we found that the program was not consistently promoted or used at the local school district level,” the audit said.

The audit said that nationally, dual-enrollment programs can close education gaps for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. However, in Ohio, these students are lagging in College Credit Plus participation.

An October study by Columbia University’s Teachers College also found that among low-income Ohio students who took dual enrollment courses, only 9% had completed bachelor’s degrees four years after high school, compared to 11% of low-income students nationally.

READ MORE: Study: 83% of Ohio students who take college classes in high school go on to college

Faber’s audit recommended that state K-12 education and higher education officials work to expand high-speed internet for low-income students, who often lack the ability to take dual-enrollment courses because of their internet speeds at home. It also said that districts can eliminate barriers by providing support services for low-income students who participate in College Credit Plus.

The Ohio Department of Higher Education report for the 2022-2023 year found that of the 80,163 students in College Credit Plus, 55,486 were not economically disadvantaged; 15,774 were economically disadvantaged and the family incomes of 8,903 were unknown.

Laura Hancock covers state government and politics for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.

PASADENA, Calif. – It’s only been 14 games, but Ohio State offensive coordinator Chip Kelly had already seen enough of receiver Jeremiah Smith to make his proclamation.

“He’s the best receiver in the country, and he showed it tonight,” Kelly told USA TODAY Sports.

It’s hard to argue.  

As the College Football Playoff stage gets bigger, the Buckeyes freshman receiver continues to shine. His latest offering – a dominant performance against top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl to get his team into the semifinals. He finished the night with seven catches for 187 yards – a career-high that broke the school record for most receiving yards in a game by a freshman – and two touchdowns. He was named Rose Bowl offensive MVP.

It only took three plays for his impact to be felt Wednesday. Smith took a short toss from quarterback Will Howard and evaded multiple tacklers before so jogging into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown. 

As he made his way into the end zone, he held up a peace sign and signaled to the Oregon crowd to quiet down, and that’s pretty much what they did anytime No. 4 got his hands on the ball.

Smith was doing it about any way he wanted to. He was winning one-on-one matchups against a top 10 passing defense and he was maneuvering through the secondary to find himself wide open for big plays. Each time Howard threw the ball toward Smith’s direction, you could sense the impending doom awaiting the Oregon fans and the anticipation to celebrate for the scarlet and gray.

What’s more impressive about Smith’s performance is that most of his damage came in the first half. Smith had five catches for 161 yards as Ohio State was comfortably ahead 34-8 at the break, while Oregon has accumulated only 131 total yards.

It’s bee quite the run for Smith since a loss to Michigan knocked the Buckeyes out of the Big Ten title game. Through two playoff games, Smith now has 13 catches for 290 yards and four touchdowns as Ohio State has gone up against two of the top defensive units in the country. 

There may have been an extra incentive for Smith to show out against Oregon. Leading up to the Rose Bowl, he recalled the disappointment of the one-point loss to the Ducks in October and how that experienced helped Wednesday’s performance.

“We knew we had to get the ball to the perimeter, take shots and just win one-on-one matchups, and that’s what we did,” Smith said. 

Oregon coach Dan Lanning had Smith capabilities in that first meeting as he finished with nine catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. 

Now after seeing Smith befuddle his defense again, Lanning believes he’s ready for the next level – even if he has to wait two more seasons. 

“He’s strong, attacks the ball in the air as well as any receiver I’ve ever seen. The guy is NFL-ready. He’s that talented and that special,” Lanning said. “He’s got all the tools. A really talented player.”

There is some irony that Ohio State is full of veterans and transfers lured through name, image and likeness, yet it’s a true freshman that’s setting the tone in the postseason. 

But that was the feeling Buckeyes coach Ryan Day had when Smith first stepped foot on campus. 

You just aren’t the nation’s top recruit by accident. Day said Smith has a serious demeanor and isn’t one to talk much, but whenever he does speak up, “people listen.”

“He had a look in his eye he wanted to make an impact as a freshman,” Day said. 

It’s clear there’s maturity, accountability and confidence in Smith. He recalled telling Howard, who had his own big day with 319 passing yards and three touchdowns, just to get the ball to him and other receivers and they’ll make the play for him.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a bad ball or not, we’ll make our quarterback look good,” Smith said. 

Ohio State has been a cottage industry of producing standout receivers in recent years. Smith is looking every bit of someone who will be on the NFL draft stage in 2027. Before then, Buckeyes fans have the rest of this playoff run and more to marvel at their new star.

“He’s got a couple more years until he goes, but he’s as good as I’ve ever seen,” Kelly said.

PASADENA, CALIF. — Ohio State will get an early look at its 2025 season-opening opponent as it tried to keep its 2024 national title hopes alive when it faces Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

After two dominating performances in the first two rounds, the Buckeyes are expected to continue its winning ways as they head to Dallas on Jan. 10.

They are considered a 6.5-point favorite against the Longhorns, according to DraftKings.

Both teams reached the Colleg Football Playoff seminal by having to first win a home game in the first round before heading to a bowl site though in very different ways. The Longhorns needed overtime beat Arizona State in the Peach Bowl after beating Clemson at home in a four-quarter game. OSU has outscored its opponents 83-38 in wins over Tennessee at home and Oregon at the Rose Bowl.

The winner of the Cotton Bowl will face the winner of the Orange Bowl being played on the day before. So far, Penn State has already punched its ticket to Miami with wins over SMU in the first round and Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. Notre Dame beat Indiana in the first round and will face Georgia — who had a bye — in the Sugar Bowl which has been postponed until Thursday.