Five Valley high schools gain well-earned US acclaim

Don’t be surprised BY an OUT- break of ear-to-ear grins on the faces of students, teachers, staff and parents in and near five Mahoning Valley high schools. They’ve legitimately earned the right to bask in the glory of their nationally recognized achievements.

Those public high schools in Canfield, Poland, Boardman, Springfield and Howland won coveted spots last week on the much-respected list compiled by U.S. News and World Report each year of the nation’s best institutions for secondary education.

Of the more than 22,000 high schools across the nation, these schools scored at the top of their game. Each one recognized earned an A+ grade.

In order of rank, Canfield placed 41st, Poland, 51st; Springfield, 52nd; Boardman, 54th and Howland, 98th.

We congratulate them all.

RIGOROUS STANDARDS

Even though none of the Valley’s high schools jettisoned to the tippy-top of the state and national ratings, that is no reason to take these placements lightly. The standards used by the national newsweekly magazine are rigorous and comprehensive.

According to U.S. News, the evaluations are based on six demanding factors: college readiness, breadth of available college curriculum, math and reading performance, math and reading proficiency, graduation rates and “underserved student performance,” which accounts for black, Hispanic and low-income students.

Alex Geordan, superintendent of Canfield Local Schools, echoed the sentiments of other school leaders in the top-ranking districts when he told The Vindicator: “We are excited about the ranking our high school received. We would like to thank all of our staff K-12 and supportive families who helped contribute to the success.”

To that list, we would add supportive parents and family members who often guide and sometime prod students to excel. Community members with no direct link to public schools but who choose to help through volunteerism, school-levy support and other means also merit kudos.

These districts and the many committed people who power them to excellence not only rise as refreshing examples of the towering potential for public education, they also serve as working models for other districts seeking to join the elite group in 2020.