Starting in the 2017–2018 school year, Allegany County Public Schools (ACPS) and Allegany College of Maryland (ACM) launched the P-TECH program — a free early college opportunity open to incoming ninth graders.

P-TECH is a grades 9–14 model that blends high school, college coursework, and real-world work experience into one connected path. Students earn their high school diploma and then continue toward an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Computer Technology with a Cybersecurity focus from ACM — at essentially no cost to families.

Students who move through the program at an accelerated pace can complete everything in as little as four years after starting high school. P-TECH graduates also have the option to transfer to Frostburg State University to pursue a bachelor's degree in a computer science field, with credits transferring seamlessly.

The program is funded in part by the Maryland State Department of Education and is made possible through collaboration between ACPS, ACM, and local technology businesses and industries. It supports Allegany County's broader goal of growing the local IT workforce.

Recruitment begins each February for current eighth graders.

For more information, contact: Melissa Kaye, P-TECH Coordinator Center for Career & Technical Education