By AP
Hopkinsville, KY – A Christian County program is allowing high school dropouts to return to classes and get a diploma instead of a GED. The county's Academy of Continuing Education started in February to help students ages 18 to 21 finish the work they started before dropping out.
At ACE, the students can spend a minimum of 15 hours a week taking classes, which allows them to have full-time jobs or care for their children while getting an education.
The program came about in a county that had a dropout rate well above the state average all but twice during the years from 2001 to 2008. Currently, ACE school serves about 25 students and is limited to a computer lab at the district's Career and Technical Center.