High schools in the United States represent the stepping-off point to adulthood, the threshold for students to enter formal training in college, trade school, or the workforce. As our society faces increased demands for creative solutions, innovation, and a more technological workforce, the current high school model is simply antiquated. The Early College High School (ECHS) design can bridge the transitional gap that exists between high school and college and increase the potential of higher graduation rates in high school and post-secondary institutes and is one of many responses to these concerns. This mixed-methods study sought to discover students' self-perceptions of college readiness in the areas of academics, expectations, and emotions as a result of participating in an ECHS. The academic readiness was examined through an analysis of student reflections on academic readiness on the "Perceptions, Expectations, Emotions, and Knowledge" about college (PEEK) scales (Weinstein, Palmer & Hanson, 1995) instrument and their college entrance examination scores derived from the "Computer-Adaptive Placement Assessment Support System" (COMPASS) (ACT, 2006) examination. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]