One Richmond County high school has taken preparing students for college to a new level -- it's putting them into college classes and enabling them to earn college credit.

A.R. Johnson Health Science and Engineering Magnet High School is the only school to establish partnerships with Augusta Technical College and Medical College of Georgia as ways to ease students into the world of higher education.

"If you go to any college recruiters around here, they love our kids," said A.R. Johnson Assistant Principal Tim Parker.

A big reason is that students at A.R. Johnson are afforded opportunities not available to those elsewhere in the county.

Earlier this year, the school entered a partnership with MCG, which includes lectures from faculty, students visiting the college and medical students tutoring their younger counterparts.

The collaboration "has blossomed beyond many of our dreams," said Roman Cibirka, MCG's vice president for instruction and associate provost, calling it a natural fit because of the health science component at A.R. Johnson.

Dr. Cibirka hopes the partnership will establish a greater pipeline of students into health occupations.

He says that in middle and high school, students tend to decide on the job they want to pursue.

One example is A.R. Johnson salutatorian Simon Kigwana.

The 18-year-old was inspired to attend medical school at Johns Hopkins University after shadowing an MCG cardiologist before the partnership was established. Simon plans to become a surgeon.

The school also has formed relationships with Augusta Technical College, including a newly formed partnership this year, said Jo Anne Robinson, the Augusta Tech dean of information and engineering technology.

There are 22 A.R. Johnson students who are dual-enrolled in the college's pharmacy technology classes, but this year 15 students also enrolled in computer-design drafting classes, she said.

The dual enrollment is on top of agreements between Augusta Tech and Richmond County schools that grant students who earn an 85 in particular high school classes credit at the college.

A.R. Johnson has more classes than any other Richmond County school that corresponds with Augusta Tech's curriculum under this agreement. The magnet school's students also take classes at Augusta State University, as do those from other high schools.

A.R. Johnson was recently recognized among a group of other schools for its Advanced Placement program, a way its students earn college credit while still in high school.

"They are entering college already with college credit," Principal Deborah Walker said.

Michael Walden, 17, gives up two hours each night to take on the extra reading required for his Advanced Placement classes, but it will be worth it when he attends Yale University to study biomedical engineering.

He has passed three of the rigorous AP classes already and is enrolled in two more this year, the senior said. Each AP class he passes is college credit.

"It teaches you how to think," the school's valedictorian said.