ROCKFORD (WIFR) -- As thousands of Stateline students prepare for high school graduations. Dozens of teens we'll have a running start towards a college diploma before ever picking up their high school diploma.

Forty-three students from the two Belvidere High Schools are graduating from Rock Valley College with an associates degree this Friday, that's two days before their high school graduation ceremony.

They were part of the Running Start Program at RVC. The students started the program during the fall of their junior year in high school. They take courses that will achieve dual credit for both a high school diploma and associate's degree.

"The academic level is much higher because it allows for a greater specialization of the classes. Like you could have advanced chemistry or really specific history compared to high school. I think that's the main advantage of it because it allows you to scope out a field you would like," Mihow McKenny, Belvidere North and RVC Student, said.

The Belvidere School District had been the only one participating in Running Start but next year the Byron, Harlem and Winnebago School Districts will also take part.