Sammamish High School has reached new heights, climbing in rank by 121 slots on the 2009 Newsweek magazine’s Top 100 best public high schools in the nation.
Sammamish place in 47th place out of more than 1,500 schools nationwide. The ranking is determined by the number of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate and/or Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors.
In addition to Sammamish, the International School, Interlake, Newport and Bellevue also placed in Newsweek’s top 100 school nationally.
Sammamish surpassed Bellevue High School in ranking for the first time ever by 31 slots, an unexpected but acknowledged triumph according to Sammamish High School Principal Tom Duenwald.
“Don’t get me wrong- I am thrilled to see all five Bellevue high schools in the top 100, but for Sammamish to make such a giant leap in the right direction is very exciting,” Duenwald said. “This district is amazing and the teachers and students who make up our schools work so incredibly hard. We are proud of the whole district.”
Bellevue High School ranked 78th.
Of the other Bellevue schools, the International School ranked 11th; Interlake High, 18th; and Newport High, 34th.
Duenwald pointed to the switch from a four-period block schedule to a seven-period school day as one key ingredient to a higher student enrollment in AP courses at Sammamish.
“Offering a rigorous curriculum has been a focus of the district and the schools for a long time, dating back to when Mike Riley was superintendent,” Duenwald explained. “We have continued to encourage our students to take AP courses and to challenge themselves academically. Our students have risen to the challenge,” he added.
The AP Program offers 37 courses in 20 subject areas. Each course is developed by a committee composed of college faculty and AP teachers, and covers information, skills, and assignments found in the corresponding college course. Students are encouraged to take the optional exams at the end of the class to potentially earn college credit, depending on the course.
Sammamish offers students a number of opportunities to take AP courses from sophomore year on, including two back-to-back AP Calculus courses during senior year, a unique setup that is not seen at other high schools in Bellevue.
“Our school is made up of a diverse student body with some added challenges, but big hearts and determination. This ranking proves, that any student, if given the tools, can achieve great things,” Duenwald said.
To help guide teachers through the AP process, the Bellevue district hosts an annual Advanced Placement Institute where teachers are able to attend and get instruction from trainers brought in from across the country. A workshop on AP courses is also available to teachers in the fall.
Other Eastside-area schools that made the list are: Redmond High in Redmond, 684th; Mercer Island High in Mercer Island, 890th; Inglemoor High in Kenmore, 1,101st; and Issaquah High in Issaquah, 1,106th.
Newsweek’s list of
top high schools is available online.
Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.
