CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Six of Kanawha County’s eight high schools were recognized or ranked nationally by the U.S. News and World Report, the school board announced Thursday night.
George Washington and Nitro high schools were nationally ranked in the report released earlier this month, while St. Albans, Herbert Hoover, South Charleston and Riverside were all nationally recognized.
Kanawha County School Board President Robin Rector said the news showed how many county schools have grown.
“To me the ones that are nationally recognized shows a lot of work,” she said. “I don’t want to downsize what the national ranking means, but to be recognized based upon improvements in graduation rates, attendance or academic performance means there’s a lot going on in those schools.”
Graduation rates have been something the county school board has worked on, and Rector said that emphasis has paid off in the last year.
“Graduation rate is what makes folks successful later on, whether they’re going on career track or college track, it makes sure they have a place to go,” Rector said. “We rose 5 percentage points over the last year. That’s huge. Do you know how hard that is to do?”
Rector also emphasized attendance rates.
“There first step in this is having a learner in a seat. You have a learner in a seat, and you have them there on time, all day and you don’t have interruptions in the classroom, you have a lot greater chance of improving performance, the ultimate piece being the outcome on test scores.”
Rector, who is leaving the school board in July, gave credit to the state school board’s new College and Career Readiness Standards, pointing out that the mantra had grown since she began on the school board.
“When I first started this venture, everything was college or career readiness,” she explained. “I think that college and career readiness is important to Kanawha County and important to West Virginia. That we have learners who are graduating who are ready to become part of our workforce.”
The Kanawha County School Board meets again on Monday for a special session to discuss its budget for next fiscal year.