High school ranked among best nationally
Spring-Ford Area School District officials had plenty to brag about this week after a national publication ranked the high school among the best in the country.
With more than 15,000 high schools under consideration, Spring-Ford ranked in the top 500 high schools nationally, coming in at number 306 in Newsweek’s 2016 “America’s Top High Schools” report.
Spring-Ford was one of 30 Pennsylvania schools to make the annual list. Connestoga and Unionville High Schools ranked highest in Pennsylvania at 36 and 49 respectively.
Other area high schools to make the list include Downingtown STEM Academy at 58, Radnor High School at 106, Great Valley High School at 209, Penncrest High School at 276, West Chester Bayard Rustin High School at 278, West Chester Henderson High School at 293, Haverford High School at 294, Upper Dublin High School at 330, West Chester East High School at 355 and Souderton Area High School at 439.
According to the publication’s website, which includes the full list of schools, “The Newsweek High School Rankings assess schools based on a broad range of data to determine which institutions do the best job of pre-
paring students for college.” Spring-Ford, like the other high-achieving high schools, shined primarily because of student achievement and highly talented teachers.
Data schools needed to provide for Newsweek’s survey included school demographics and counselors; college acceptance and enrollment; SAT and ACT participation and performance; Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and Advanced International Certificate of Education participation and performance; and dual enrollments.
The report shows 76.1 per-- cent of Spring-Ford students were college ready. The high school had a graduation rate of 98.5 percent and 91.3 percent of students were college bound. The district also had a poverty rate of 14.9 percent.
“Receiving this national recognition, again, reminds us that we are on the right track,” said Superintendent David Goodin, in a press release. “Everyone in the district, from our elementary teachers through to our high school teachers, had a part in preparing our students for this achievement.”
This is the second time in the district’s history that it has received recognition from Newsweek. Spring-Ford ranked 482 in 2014.
“This is great news to kick off the new school year,” Spring-Ford Area High School Principal Patrick Nugent said.
School board members were also happy to share the news during Monday’s meeting.
“A lot of exciting things are going on here at Spring-Ford,” said board President Tom DiBello, who added that the district was ranked among the top 10 districts in Pennsylvania. “We’ll continue to raise the bar of excellence.”
“When you talk about 26,000 high schools in the country that is just amazing tobe in the top 500,” said board member Ed Dressler. “It’s phenomenal to me.”
“(It’s) a credit to our staff, our teachers, our administration but not only here at the high school, which has done an outstanding job, but at our elementary schools and our middle school and our eighth grade and ninth grade center,” said board Vice President Joe Ciresi. “They helped get these kids where they are in the building. I am extremely proud to say where we’re ranked right now.”
“Receiving this national recognition, again, reminds us thatwe are on the right track.” — Superintendent David Goodin