Charleston Regional Development Alliance

Berkeley, Charleston & Dorchester Counties

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Academic Magnet wins gold

Dec. 1, 2007
Charleston Post and Courier
By Diette Courrégé
Academic Magnet High School received recognition on Friday for again ranking as one of the country's top high schools.

The North Charleston school was 27th in U.S. News & World Report's first-ever list of America's Best High Schools. Newsweek magazine has ranked Academic Magnet as the 10th-best high school nationwide for the past two years.

"This is another celebration for the school in terms of the kinds of effort students and teachers put out, day in and day out, to try to achieve excellence," said interim Principal Carol Tempel. "This is pretty exciting for us."

Two other Lowcountry schools, Charleston County School of the Arts and Wando High, also were recognized in the ratings but did not receive numerical rankings.

U.S News & World Report based schools' ratings on test scores. Specifically, the criteria were that: students' test scores on state reading and math exams must exceed statistical expectations given the students' poverty level; the least advantaged student groups, such as black, Hispanic and low-income students, must achieve proficiency rates on state tests that exceed the state average; and the level of students' college readiness, which was measured by student participation in and performance on Advanced Placement tests.

Nearly 1,600 high schools nationwide that met those criteria were put into three categories: gold, silver or bronze.

The 100 top-performing schools were given gold status and ranked numerically. Academic Magnet was the only gold school in South Carolina.

The remaining 405 schools that met all three criteria were classified as silver schools. School of the Arts and Wando High fell in this category.

The 1,086 bronze high schools met the first two criteria but not the third, which evaluated students' college readiness. More than 18,500 high schools in 40 states were analyzed this year.

Academic Magnet has a highly selective admissions process based on students' test scores and grades. Its students are required to take at least four Advanced Placement courses, and Tempel said the school works hard to have a strong, rigorous curriculum that builds on students' knowledge. Senior students have to present a thesis, and the groundwork for their projects starts during their freshman year.

"I think that anyone who visits the school notices there is a special spirit here," Tempel said. "Our kids are motivated. Our students have chosen to come to this school. They love being here. They love what they're studying. The whole school climate contributes to the academic success of students."

Academic Magnet senior Oriane Hakkila is taking four Advanced Placement classes this year and applying to prestigious universities such as Yale and Columbia. She hopes colleges will look at her school's national ranking and recognize that strong grades at Academic Magnet mean students had to work hard to earn them. She's proud of her school and said she likes its small size and its environment that challenges students.

"The school fosters a love of education and learning," she said. 		related information