Technically speaking, there’s no one path to success in life
The most recent ranking of the state’s best public high schools differed little from previous ratings.
As expected, it was dominated by an eminent Boston institution and several wellheeled suburban standard bearers, along with a unique Worcester-based magnet school for grades 11 and 12.
Niche, a company that reviews and ranks schools from elementary age through college, based its rankings on a combination of input from students, alumni and parents, plus data from the Department of Education and other sources.
The Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science, which has a working relationship with Worcester Polytech Institute, again took the top honors.
Every school ranked in the top 20 on the Niche list earned an A+ grade.
Lexington High, the highest-ranked non-entrance exam school, again took the runner-up position.
Weston High School, Boston Latin, Brookline High School, Newton North High School, Belmont High School, Hopkinton High School, Newton South High School, and Wellesley High School rounded out the top 10.
Locally, Concord- Carlisle Regional (16), Westford Academy (17), and Acton-boxboro Regional (19) cracked the Niche top 20 high schools in the state.
It’s obvious that wealthier school districts with more homogeneous, affluent student bodies possess the financial means to create an atmosphere more conducive to academic achievement.
This list of top public high schools just happens to align closely with Stacker’s list of the most exclusive Boston-area communities.
That’s why these elite schools can afford to have teacher-student ratios in the mid-teens or lower — Boston Latin’s 20-1 being the highest — which most other public school systems can’t match.
These or similar communities will probably always dominate the top performing high-school rankings, but that doesn’t mean other public schools with different demographics can’t be recognized for their individual academic achievements and real-world training.
The last time we acknowledged this list of top academic performers, we also highlighted the strides made by several Fitchburg public schools.
The results of the 2022 MCAS tests showed Fitchburg, which had five schools listed in the bottom 10% statewide in 2018, saw three of them rise from that position.
As a result, Memorial Middle School and Fitchburg High School no longer required supplemental supervision and support from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The teaching teams and support staff at those two schools combined to produce significant progress as students returned to in-person learning.
Robert Jokela, the high school superintendent at the time, collectively credited the work of his educators in helping students make these academic strides in the most trying of times.
“All of our staff adapted and continued to teach all our students, and it is reflected in the improved results,” said Jokela, who disclosed that “our 2022 results bring us in line with many of our urban peers.”
Not to be overlooked, our state’s technical high schools fill a specialized niche that’s in such demand that many of them can’t accommodate all the students who want that combination of academics and real-world training.
Unfortunately, that’s created waiting lists in the hundreds at some schools, a frustrating result of this state’s inadequate emphasis on technical education.
Recently, three students at Nashoba Valley Technical High School were selected for their academic accomplishments and their school’s diversity.
Sophomore Maria Clara Resende of Chelmsford (marketing), Senior Lorenna Teixeira of Ayer (dental assisting), and sophomore Lorrainy Rodrigues of Ayer (engineering technology) participated on a student panel run by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education celebrating the seal of biliteracy.
DESE asked Nashoba Tech to put together a group of students who have earned the prestigious Massachusetts state seal of biliteracy certification, awarded to students who earn high MCAS scores in English and proficiency in another language.
All three are native Portuguese speakers, while Maria and Lorrainy also speak at a high level in Spanish.
They spoke on the benefits of the seal of biliteracy on their career paths.
The students shared their program of study at Nashoba Tech with about 60 administrators and educators, talking about their future goals and why being multilingual is a valued skill in the eyes of prospective employers.
The DESE networking event celebrated five years of the seal of biliteracy and included workshops on a variety of topics related to language learning, including World Language, English Language, Dual Language and Heritage Language programs.
More than 200 administrators and teachers from across the state participated in the event.
There’s no one route to educational excellence; it comes in several forms.
That’s why a technical high school grad’s chances of succeeding in life is no less than the students from those top 20 high schools.