Elkin High is silver award winner First Posted: 3:31 pm – April 30th, 2016 Elkin High School has been recognized as a Silver Medal award winner in the latest edition of The U.S. News and Record national report on the Best High Schools in America.

National and state rankings for this report include data on more than 21,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Elkin High is ranked 36th within North Carolina and has a national ranking of 2,104. Schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college. With the exclusion of charter schools, early colleges and magnet schools,

Elkin High Schools rank moves to No. 14 compared to the 608 high schools in North Carolina. To produce the 2016 Best High Schools rankings, U.S. News & World Report teamed with North Carolina-based RTI International, a global nonprofit social science research firm.

The rankings were based on two key principles: 1) that a great high school must serve all of its students well, not just those who are college bound, and 2) that it must be able to produce measurable academic outcomes to show it is successfully educating its student body across a range of performance indicators. In the 2016 U.S. News Best High Schools rankings, there are 29 North Carolina schools with silver medals and 109 with bronze medals.

Fifteen schools in North Carolina earned gold medals. Of the 29 schools with silver medals, Elkin High School is the 14th highest ranked traditional public high school in northwest North Carolina and is only one of three traditional public high schools in western North Carolina (excluding charters, magnet schools, early colleges, private schools, etc) to receive a Top 40 statewide ranking and earn the Silver Medal.

Only East Surry High School (No. 39) and Mount Airy High School (No. 40) earned silver recognitions as a traditional high school from western North Carolina. Superintendent Dr. Randy Bledsoe said he is very proud of Elkin High School for being the highest ranked school in the western North Carolina region for two consecutive years. Our staff is totally dedicated to educating every child and helping each one to reach his/her academic and career goals, according to Bledsoe. Elkin High School Principal Joel Hoyle stated that he was very proud of this recognition for Elkin High School and this is a testament to the students, staff, and the community. He credited the extraordinary staff at Elkin High School for providing exceptional learning opportunities for each student.

As a Pre-K through grade 12 STEAM-infused educational system, all teachers in the Elkin City Schools district are to be commended for this most recent honor, said Bledsoe. The preparation of high school students begins in the elementary school, continues through the middle school and is further enhanced by numerous opportunities provided through the various academic programs. Every school day students are engaged in meaningful lessons and activities that reinforce the objectives taught in the classroom, said Bledsoe. Our system-wide mission is to provide every child with staff members who nurture, support, inspire, encourage and deliver quality instruction. The accomplishment of our mission is reflected in this most prestigious honor as a Best High Schools Silver Medal recipient.