Clinton High School receives top scores in metro area, Gold status for College Success Award
By Clay Mansell
The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) recently announced that forty-eight Mississippi high schools, including Clinton High School (CHS), have received a prestigious 2021 College Success Award recognition from GreatSchools.org for excelling at preparing students to enroll and succeed in college as determined by available data in each state.
In addition, CHS is one of only thirty high schools in the state to receive the College Success Award – Gold, an achievement awarded because CHS earned a 2019, 2020 and 2021 College Success Award. The College Success Award – Gold honors schools with a strong track record of postsecondary success, as evidenced by the school winning two or more College Success Awards (with at least one of those wins being in 2020 or 2021).
CHS was also the highest scoring metro-area high school, scoring a nine out of ten. Only one other “Gold” high school in the state, the Mississippi School for Math and Science, had a higher score than CHS in 2021.
CHS ranked above the state average in almost every category detailed in the report, which includes metrics such as four-year high school graduation rate, ACT participation and scores, Advanced Placement (AP) course participation, graduates pursuing college or vocation programs, test scores, discipline, attendance rates, students per teacher and counselor rates, and experience and certification of teachers.
GreatSchools.org is the nation’s leading nonprofit providing school information to parents and families and has conducted the College Success Award annually since 2018.
Mississippi schools recognized for 2021 are among 1,838 high schools from twenty-five states that demonstrated a successful track record of graduating students who enroll in two- or four-year college, are ready for college-level coursework, and persist on to their second year.
School, district and state education leaders in these twenty-five states were undeterred by the pandemic’s challenges and provided the critical data transparency needed to help communities understand paths to success from high school to college.
The College Success Award is possible because Mississippi is among states leading the nation in both collecting and transparently sharing information on how students perform after high school, which is valuable information for families, educators and policymakers.
“We applaud Mississippi schools for prioritizing high-quality public education, putting students on the path to bright futures,” said Jon Deane, CEO of GreatSchools.org. “Over the past two years, students, parents, teachers and communities have relied on one another like never before. We congratulate and thank everyone for their unwavering pursuit of college success for all students.”
To learn more about the College Success Award and view the complete list of winners, plus a detailed breakdown of each school’s score, visit www.greatschools.org/mississippi/college-success-award/.
