This history examines the relationship between 21st century early college high schools and a longer tradition of adolescents attending college, uncovering powerful roots, distinctive breaks, and reforged alliances. Why did these schools, designed so students earn up to an associate's degree before graduation, come into being when and where they did? How have they--and the movement behind them--developed over the course of two decades? The essay closes with a consideration of the contemporary funding landscape and where early college high schools currently fit in the U.S. educational terrain.