Third straight year Bowling Green school has won award
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (Sept. 10, 2014) — The Gatton Academy, located on the campus of Western Kentucky University, was ranked the nation’s best high school for the third consecutive year. The Gatton Academy was named the top high school in 2012 and 2013 on a joint list by Newsweek/The Daily Beast and this year on a list by The Daily Beast, an award-winning online news site.
“I am thrilled by The Daily Beast’s recognition of The Gatton Academy as the number one high school in America,” said Dr. Lynette Breedlove, Director of The Gatton Academy. “I am grateful for the dedication of the WKU faculty and the Gatton staff to the success of our students,” she said.
The ranking from The Daily Beast used six indicators from school surveys to compare public high schools, with graduation and college acceptance rates weighed most heavily. Other criteria included college-level courses and exams, percentage of students with free or reduced lunch, as well as SAT and ACT scores.
Gatton earned the top ranking in three of the five main categories judged, with 100 percent of students college bound, 100 percent of students enrolled in AP/IB courses, and students taking an average of 3.3 exams.
“Students have the opportunity to pursue hands-on, in-depth research with university professors,” Breedlove said. “Students can choose to participate in STEM + Critical Languages to become fluent in Chinese or Arabic. Students not only have the opportunity, but are encouraged to travel abroad, studying global cultures and world history first hand or researching cloud forest habitats. The Gatton Academy students have access to educational resources often reserved for graduate students, within a living environment designed for high school students. It’s the best of both higher education and high school.”
WKU President Gary Ransdell said the Academy’s continued reign “is a great tribute to our faculty and to the students in the Gatton Academy. Sustaining such a high level of performance is something in which all Kentuckians should take pride, and I am certainly pleased that WKU has created such a scholarly environment on our campus.”
Gov. Steve Beshear’s budget included $2 million for the Gatton Academy, which will allow another 80 students the opportunity to study at the school, he said.
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