A total of 43 Kentucky public high schools have received the prestigious College Success Award from GreatSchools.org, the nation’s leading nonprofit providing school information to parents and families. Now in its fifth year, the annual recognition honors public high schools that excel at preparing students to enroll and succeed in college, as determined by available data in each state.
Kentucky’s recipients are among 1,742 winners from 25 states that have demonstrated successful track records of graduating students who enroll in two- or four-year colleges, are ready for college-level coursework and persist on to their second year. Despite the many challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, these schools have continued to uphold many best practices to support their students’ college preparation and success.
“We pride ourselves on ensuring every student has the skills and experiences they need to find success after high school,” said Jason E. Glass, commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education, which has participated in the College Success Award since its inception. The state also places a strong emphasis on career and technical education in its high school curricula – data for which was recently added to GreatSchools profiles of Kentucky high schools.
“The strength of Kentucky’s career and technical education programs shows the state’s commitment to giving our students vibrant and engaging learning experiences, which is one of the big ideas in United We Learn, our vision for the future of public education in the Commonwealth,” he said. “We are proud of the example our schools are setting for other public institutions across the country.”
The College Success Award is possible because Kentucky is 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. Kentucky is one of only eight states to be included in the College Success Award since its inception, thanks to its transparency around K-12 data.
“We applaud Kentucky for prioritizing a high-quality public education that puts students on the path to bright futures,” said Jon Deane, CEO of GreatSchools. “It’s inspiring to see how entire school communities – students, teachers and families –can work together in pursuit of a common goal: success for all. Congratulations to these 43 schools for receiving the College Success Award as proof of their hard work and dedication.”
Community members can join in celebrating Kentucky’s winning schools on social media using #CollegeSuccessAward. To learn more about the College Success Award and view the complete list of winners, visit the GreatSchools.org awards webpage.
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