Note that taking college courses after high school graduation may require you to commit to the transfer pathway. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if your high school academic record is excellent, you may find better scholarship opportunities and admission possibility at good-financial-aid colleges as a frosh than as a transfer. On the other hand, if your high school academic record is not that good, starting at a community college may be a cost effective way to make your high school record less relevant or irrelevant when applying to transfer to a four year school later.
If you do start at a community college and take the transfer pathway, recommendations (if needed) should come from the college instructors, not high school teachers. Also, not all colleges use recommendations.
Each college should have a net price calculator on its web site that can give an estimate of what financial aid you may get from that college.
Your state of residency may be important in determining how good the opportunities and financial aid are at your local community colleges and state universities.