For decades, dual enrollment functioned largely as a “program of privilege,” reaching students already bound for college. California’s 2016 College and Career Access Pathways Act set out to change that, extending college coursework to students from low-income and first-generation backgrounds for whom dual enrollment could serve as an on-ramp rather than an accelerator. But as access has broadened, a pressing question has emerged: What happens when students struggle in dual enrollment and/or do not succeed in their courses?

Drawing on a statewide study of approximately 1.74 million California high school students, this WestEd brief reveals a “readiness illusion”: even among the most academically prepared students, those from low-income and first-generation backgrounds fail at disproportionately higher rates. Yet students who enroll and do not pass are still more likely to attend college than peers who never took advanced coursework. The brief argues for building intentional support infrastructure rather than restricting access, and it offers concrete guidance for district leaders, state policymakers, and researchers working to ensure that expanded access produces strong outcomes for students.