It is a specialized dual enrollment school (part of the ECHS initiative by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) which offers students the ability to earn up to two years of college credit at no cost at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), focusing in four general areas: education, engineering, computer science, and college academic core curriculum requirements.

[5] It is an open-enrollment campus available to all who live in the Rio Grande Valley, with a special focus in recruiting at-risk students and historically underrepresented minorities.

[6] The application process for rising freshmen places special consideration on the student's personal goals, college preparedness, academic success, and demographic background.

[3][10][11][12] It will replace the original campus located at Pecan Street across from Texas State Technical College Harlingen (TSTC) and the Valley International Airport.

[20] It initially had a partnership with Texas State Technical College Harlingen (TSTC), which offered high school students the opportunity to complete an associate degree or Certificate program at no cost.

It follows the HCISD tradition of high school bird mascots, and the owl was chosen to represent ECHS's academic focus and mission.

While khaki is one of the official colors, yellow and gold are often substituted in its place for ECHS event decorations, printed banners and brochures, letterman jackets, and diplomas.

Beginning in the fall of 2017 (and on ECHS's ten-year anniversary), Early College High School ended its partnership with TSTC and entered into a new agreement with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV).

[28][29] Harlingen ECHS students were given the chance to compete with high school engineering and robotics teams from around the world after winning the Alamo West Regional Championship.