News Release For Immediate Release April 25, 2016

U.S. News & World Report: Cabell High Schools Beat State Average for College Readiness Huntington High School Receives National Bronze Award

Huntington High School and Cabell Midland High School have both outperformed many other high schools in West Virginia when it comes to college readiness, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2016 Best High School rankings.

Huntington High School received the additional honor of being recognized nationally by the organization with a Bronze award.

The U.S. News rankings include data on more than 21,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Based on data from the 2013-2014 school year, schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on their performance on state assessments, their graduation rates and how well they prepare students for college.

While Cabell County’s high schools still have some work to do to be recognized among the top performing high schools nationally, the data in the report does point to some promising progress in regard to college readiness.

U.S. News determined college readiness based on the percentage of 12th graders who took AP® coursework and were tested and passed AP® exams. According to the report, the AP® participation rate at Huntington High School is 29%, with 15% passing the exams. At Cabell Midland High School, the AP® participation rate is 38%, with 17% passing the exams. Both schools were above the West Virginia average in this measure of success.

“We are very encouraged to see the number of students attempting and succeeding in these challenging AP® courses,” says William A. Smith, Superintendent of Cabell County Schools. “I believe it is direct evidence that our curriculum is indeed becoming more rigorous and relevant for students, giving them more confidence in their own abilities. There is no doubt we have many challenges to overcome in Cabell County, but I believe we are definitely on the correct path. We’ve been developing teacher leaders who are identifying and addressing individual student needs; and with the planned expansion of our career academies, enhanced career and technical education programs,

and active efforts to improve our graduation rates, I believe the future for Cabell County’s children is growing brighter each day.”

For more information about the U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools ranking report, you may visit their website at http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools.

### Release Sent By: Jedd T. Flowers Director of Communications Cabell County Schools (304) 528-5338 www.cabellcountyschools.com jtflower@access.k12.wv.us