"We were getting somewhat desperate," said Charles Hinman, the assistant superintendent of secondary education responsible for finding a new partner.
Now three institutions have stepped up, he told school board members Tuesday.
UCI, Orange Coast College and Marymount California University — a Catholic college in Rancho Palos Verdes — will provide college-level instruction to the 400 students at the high school.
Newport-Mesa administrators had planned for Early College to move from its Mesa Verde campus to a Newport Beach facility that Coastline Community College opened in January.
Coastline has been providing college-level courses for Early College students, who are recruited for the high school, through a grant.
When administrators decided in September the new campus wouldn't work for high schoolers and grant funding ran dry, Newport-Mesa began paying more than $125,000 a semester for Coastline instruction.
With the Coastline contract expiring in June and strong direction from the school board to continue Early College, the deadline was fast approaching for a new partner.
"I've got to tell you, I was stressed," Hinman said.
It wasn't until March that all the pieces came together.
Marymount agreed to pick up where Coastline left off. It will teach college-level classes at the Mesa Verde campus, Hinman said.
The two other colleges will expand the high school's program beyond that, he said.
Newport-Mesa expects OCC to offer limited spaces for Early College students to attend classes on its campus for free, and UCI will allow qualified students to take classes on campus or online for free.
The university will also provide counseling to students that is specific enough to tell them what grades they need in individual classes to be accepted at UCI, Hinman said.
