Tallahassee Democrat | by CD Davidson-Hiers | October 27, 2020
Four Leon County public schools have received a 2020 “College Success Award” for their efforts to prepare students for college and beyond.
The organization giving the award, national education nonprofit GreatSchools.org, chose 2,158 schools from 29 U.S. states for this year’s award, according to a press release.
GreatSchools selected Florida State University School (FSUS) and Leon County Schools’ Lawton Chiles High School, Leon High School and Lincoln High School for the award.
“As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten the physical and financial health of the nation, these award-winning schools are ensuring students graduate with the skills and resources to succeed as postsecondary scholars and productive citizens,” the organization said.
The method used to locate schools for the award involved GreatSchools.org evaluating schools based on the percentage of students from a four-year cohort who graduated, student ACT or SAT scores, the percent of students who enrolled in a postsecondary institution and how those students performed in two- or four-year college programs.
In the 2018-2019 school year, FSUS, which serves roughly 1,700 kindergarten through 12th-grade students, was rated an “A” school by the Florida Department of Education.
Both Lawton High School and Leon High School were “A” schools and Lincoln High School was rated a “B” school, according to state data. All three schools had roughly 2,100 students enrolled.
“This year’s award comes at a time when the nation is deeply valuing the perspectives of young people — and the important contributions they will make to our country’s future,” Jon Deane said in a statement, CEO of GreatSchools.org. “We commend these award-winning schools for prioritizing college readiness, giving their students opportunities to build the bright futures they deserve.”
