Gaston County school one of 353 recognized by the U.S. Department of Education this year
A few weeks ago, Highland School of Technology was listed as the eighth top school in North Carolina by the U.S. News and World Report.
Following the release of North Carolina’s 2023 accountability results, which gives all schools in North Carolina a grade based on student proficiency, Highland also found itself ranked number one in the entire state, according to Highland Principal James Montgomery.
Last week, the school was also informed that they had been awarded their second ever Blue Ribbon, an award distributed by the U.S. Department of Education to high performing schools.
According to Montgomery, the Blue Ribbon award can be awarded to schools excelling in one of two categories: high student achievement and closing the achievement gap.
Highland was awarded a Blue Ribbon for the first time in the school’s history in 2017 for high student achievement.
This year, Highland was one of only 353 schools in the United States to be chosen for a Blue Ribbon award, making this their second in the category of high student achievement.
Highland is a magnet school which means students must maintain a certain GPA, submit an application, and be chosen in a randomized lottery to attend.
According to Montgomery, it also creates an environment where students, teachers and parents all want the best possible outcomes in the classroom.
To reward the students for the academic recognition, the school will host an assembly and will go to Washington D.C. to accept the award Nov. 16-17.
Aside from Highland, two other schools in Gaston County received high ranks in the state’s accountability assessment released mid-September.
“There were 180 schools in the state that received an A report card, and Gaston County had three of those schools,” Montgomery said. “It’s quite a good moment for the schools, and the school system.”
The two other schools that received A report cards from the state’s assessment were the Gaston Early College High School, and the Gaston Early College of Medical Science High School.
“I don’t know if there’s another time in anyone’s career where you can say you’ve gone through a three-week stretch where you were ranked in the top 2.4% of all high schools in the country, then you were number one in your respective state, then the federal government comes in to make you one of 353 Blue Ribbon Schools,” Montgomery said. “We’ve had just the most amazing, rare moments here at Highland.”
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County school recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
