Staff and community, not size and wealth, make truly great schools

Dear editor:

Recently the U.S. News released an article on the top 25 high schools in Wyoming. The criteria for being on the top 25 was:

– College Readiness 30%

– State Assessment Proficiency 20%

– State Assessment Performance 20%

– Underserved Student Performance 10% 

– College Curriculum Breadth 10%

– Graduation Rate 10%

The schools that made the list in our area are: Lovell High School at No. 24, Buffalo High School No. 23, Hot Springs High School No. 20, Big Horn High School No. 17, Cody High School No. 16, Tongue River High School No. 15, Worland High School No. 13, Riverside High School No. 12, Powell High School No. 6, Burlington High School No. 2, and the top high school is Sheridan High School.

This shows that it is not the size of the school, nor the wealth of the school, that makes for good schools. It is the heart and soul of the school staff and the community that is really the difference between a high producing school and a low producing school.  

Congratulations to these schools and communities for doing such an amazing job.

Sincerely,

Gene Grose

Basin