Morristown-Hamblen High School West has been named a top ten high school in the state of Tennessee by the U.S. News and World Report in the annual “Best High Schools” list.
“I am incredibly proud of the teachers and students and their hard work,” Dr. Jeff Moorhouse, outgoing Morristown West principal, said. “It’s reflecting what is happening in the classrooms and the students stepping up and taking the challenge of advanced placement courses and their parents supporting them.
“It’s always an honor to have an organization outside the school system to recognize the school and validate the hard work being done,” he said. “It doesn’t happen by accident.”
Other Lakeway Area schools were recognized as bronze medal high schools, which means they passed the first two steps of the ranking process but fell short in college readiness efforts.
Cherokee High School in Rogersville, Cosby High, Cumberland Gap High School, Jefferson County High School in Dandridge and Morristown-Hamblen High School East were all named bronze medal schools.
“It’s very exciting for both high schools to be recognized with America’s best,” Hamblen County school director Dale Lynch said. “I am very proud of the faculty and staff at both high schools and especially of the students. This ranking is based on the work of the student body. It takes into account algebra and English results and performances in various grades as well as the number of students enrolled in advanced placement courses.
“I think East should have a strong pat on the back for their work,” he said. “They are definitely heading in the right direction, and I’m excited about all they are doing. Of course, West being recognized as a top ten school is exciting. They continue to do incredible work.”
The “Best High Schools” list was compiled by the U.S. News and World Report and North Carolina-based RTI International, a global nonprofit social science research firm.
The process involved three steps that focused on the schools serving all students well and being able to produce measurable academic outcomes to show successful education.
Steps one and two determined whether the schools performed better than statistically expected for students in their state and assessed whether the disadvantaged students outperformed other disadvantaged students in their state.
This was determined by viewing the schools’ math and reading proficiency rates which were 2.8 and 2.7 respectfully for Morristown West.
The third step involved the school being judged nationally to determine the college readiness performance.
Morristown West fell above average at 29.7.
“I am so blessed to be in a school system that supports advanced placement and college readiness,” Moorhouse said.
For its efforts, West was placed at No. 10 in Tennessee with a national ranking of 1,607 and receiving a silver medal.
-By Ambria Collins, Citizen Tribune Staff Writer
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