04/25/13 Plymouth High School has been named one of the top schools in the state of Indiana on the U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools 2013 list. They ranked PHS number 26 for the state and 1812 nationally.

According to a press release from U.S. News, they reviewed 21,035 United States public schools with only 105 Indiana schools making their ranking.  PHS was among 44 schools receiving a silver rating. An additional 58 were named bronze schools. Only three Indiana schools received the highest rank of gold medal. They include Signature School, Evansville; West Lafayette Jr. /Sr. High School, West Lafayette; and Burris Laboratory School, Muncie.

PHS has 1,066 students and 51 teachers; making them larger than the Indiana schools average enrollment.

Coming in at number 21 in the state was John Glenn High School in Walkerton. The school has 605 students and 32 teachers and is ranked 1576 nationally.

Indiana schools follow the “Core 40” curriculum of required credits. Course work includes social studies classes such as world history and economics. Students are assessed in Algebra I, Biology I, and English 10 through the ISTEP+ End-of Course Assessments.

Superintendent of the Plymouth Schools, Dan Tyree, said, “Author Jim Collis says that for organizations “good” is the enemy of “great.” He added, “So when a good school is challenged to get better, you sometimes get resistance. That is not true of Plymouth High School. The PHS staff has worked very hard to meet the every challenging needs of their students.” Referring to the U.S. News report, Tyree said, “This ranking by U.S. News and World Report certifies that they are on the track for greatness.” Tyree also praised the teachers from grades kindergarten through eighth grade. He said, “The PHS success certifies that our teachers are preparing students exceptionally well for high school.” “Parents and our entire community should be very proud of this ranking.” he said.

PHS Principal Jim Condon shared Tyree’s thoughts. Condon said, “That (ranking) is great news and reflective of the efforts and achievements of our students and faculty coupled with the support of our parents and community in general.”

Indiana has 321 school districts, 388 high schools, 18,809 teachers, and 345,327 enrolled students.

U.S. News began listing the best schools in November, 2007. The organization said, “The goal is to provide a clear, unbiased picture of how well public schools serve all of their students-from their highest achieving to their lowest achieving-in preparing them to demonstrate proficiency in basic skills as well as readiness for college-level work.” They indicate that private high schools are not required to take statewide assessment tests so were not included in the rankings. The data from those tests is the methodology of the Best High Schools rankings.

Carol Anders Correspondent