The nonprofit group Children at Risk, has announced its list of top ranking schools in a six-county area around San Antonio. The group honors schools with a high concentration of economically disadvantaged students who are performing better than expected.
Fourteen high-performing, low-income schools were recognized among 500 schools that were ranked. Bob Sanborn is President and CEO of Children at Risk.
"A top performing school means you see great results with the kids," Sanborn says. "The kids are going places. At a high school, you see a high percentage of those kids that are going to college. You always look for these schools that are doing a better job than expected."
Among those highly ranked are Elm Creek Elementary in Southwest ISD, named the No. 1 Gold Ribbon school and a high-performing, high-poverty school. Harmony Science Academy is named a top charter school.
And though Sanborn says it’s important to recognize the schools that are performing well, he says it’s equally important to call attention to schools that are not. According to Children at Risk’s ranking system, 70 percent of schools in the San Antonio area have received a grade of D or F this year.
"Currently in San Antonio, we still don’t have enough good schools. San Antonio doesn’t’ measure up to some of the other metros. And so there’s a lot of work ahead. People need to be willing to help and say how can we help to make San Antonio schools really representative of the great city that is San Antonio," he says.
Children at Risk ranks schools based on performance on the STAAR test; improvement over time in reading, English and math; and college readiness.