By Carl Keith Greene / Staff Writer
Corbin, Barbourville, Williamsburg and Whitley County high schools are among 33 Kentucky schools recognized by U.S. News and World Report as among America’s Best High Schools.
The magazine examined 21,786 public high schools. One hundred of the schools were given gold awards, 461 silver, 1,189 bronze and 37 honorable mentions.
The four Tri-County schools were given bronze awards, along with 20 other Kentucky high schools.
Nine Kentucky schools were given silver awards.
“It’s good to see Tri-County schools being recognized,” said Corbin Superintendent Ed McNeel.
Paul Middleton, Barbourville superintendent, said of the recognition, “It’s an honor to be recognized as successful and a tribute to the work of teachers, staff and parents.”
Whitley County High Principal Allen Sweet hailed his staff as “very dedicated, from the top down.”
“We’re attempting constant improvement and training to get better progress for the students,” he added.
Williamsburg High School, in its 100th year, is among 10 schools in the Commonwealth to graduate 100 percent of its senior class. It ranked 18th in the state in ACT scores and 16th in the last Kentucky schools testing cycle, said Superintendent Denny Byrd.
He attributed the honors by U.S. News to the students and teaching staff, along with Williamsburg High’s “great tradition academically.”
Corbin High Principal Joyce Phillips said of the school, “We have wonderful kids and wonderful staff and they work so hard. It’s nice to see that they are rewarded with things like this.”
Student populations at the three honored schools range from Barbourville’s about 180 to Williamsburg’s about 240, Corbin’s nearly 800 and Whitley County’s about 1,200.
In its third year of assessing the schools, U.S. News used a three-step process, starting with scores on state proficiency standards in reading and math.
Then the percentage of economically disadvantaged students at the school is factored in to determine if the school’s least-advantaged students performed better than average for similar students in the state.
The final step measured schools that created the best college-level-of-achievement for the most students by comparing Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) test information as marks for success.
In doing that, a college readiness index, based on the school’s participation in either of the advanced programs.
Alexandria, Va.’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was ranked as America’s best high school for the third year.
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Making the Grade
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