Boise District High Schools Again Nationally Recognized

Boise District High Schools Again Nationally Recognized
Posted on 05/09/2017
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Boise, Borah, Capital and Timberline high schools once again have earned the national spotlight for helping prepare students for college and beyond. 

On May 5, 2017, the Washington Post announced that all four of Boise School District's comprehensive high schools have once again made the Washington Post list of the "Most Challenging High Schools in America"  The list identifies schools working hard to challenge students from all backgrounds with courses such as Advanced Placement (AP). 

A total of nine Idaho schools were identified on the Washington Post list: two high-income charters, Riverstone International School (Boise), Vallivue High School (Caldwell), Century High School (Pocatello) and the four Boise high schools. Approximately 11% of high schools nationwide were identified this year by the Post.

This is the 9th consecutive year that all four Boise District high schools have earned the distinction of being listed among America's Most Challenging High Schools by the Washington Post. Capital has been on for 9 years, Borah 10, Timberline for 16, and Boise High School for 19 consecutive years.



AP In Boise
Boise District students took 35% of the statewide Advanced Placement tests in 2016, setting a new high of just less than 4,000 exams. District students represent about 9% of the statewide student population.


All 4 high schools have celebrated or will celebrate making the Washington Post list with special recognition ceremonies held during each of their annual student academic assemblies.  Photo of Capital High Principal Sandy Winters and Deputy Superintendent Coby Dennis.

On Friday, April 14, 2017 the student body at Capital High School gathered in the school's main gymnasium to celebrate student academic successes for the 2016-17 school year. During the academic assebly, Boise School District Deputy Superintendent Coby Dennis (pictured right) presented Capital High Principal Sandy Winters with a plaque recognizing Capital for being named to the Washington Post list.Dr. Don Coberly Borah Academic Assembly photo.

Also, on Friday, April 14th, Borah High School held its annual academic assembly - the Borah Senator's Choice Awards assembly - celebrating the accomplishments of its outstanding students. District Superintendent Dr. Don Coberly (pictured left) recognized Borah High for making the Washington Post list. 
Photo of Boise High Principal Robb Thompson and Superintendent Dr. Don Coberly.
On Friday, April 28th, the main gymnasium at Boise High was filled with students, parents and staff as they, too, celebrated the academic successes of their students. In presenting the Washington Post award to Boise High Principal Mr. Robb Thompson, Dr. Coberly explained how this was the 19th consecutive time that Boise High has earned this national distinction of being among America's Most Challenging High Schools.

Timberline High School will hold its annual Academic Assembly on Monday, May 15th where they'll celebrate the success of students, and also recognize the school for being named a Washington Post top school in the nation.  

The formula used by the Washington Post's Jay Mathews, an education columnist, is simple - the number of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams taken divided by the number of graduating seniors in the high school in a given year. The Washington Post list is intended to measure the access students have to rigorous coursework, and their willingness to participate in that curriculum.

From our perspective, Advanced Placement is the "gold standard" of Advanced Opportunities in the state of Idaho. We say this for several reasons:

Since AP features a common rigorous exam system for each of its courses, students who take AP exams can rest assured that students across the country have faced the same challenge in the exam system as have they.

Boise School District offers an Advanced Placement program with 25 AP offerings in each comprehensive high school. Boise students took 29% of Idaho's
Advanced Placement exams in 2016, earning thousands of credit waivers and college credits at universities across the country.



Data for this article was obtained from Boise School District Superintendent Dr. Don Coberly's Data Points blog post, which is dedicated to providing student achievement and education trend analysis and is intended for parents and patrons interested in an objective, data-driven look student performance in Boise and across Idaho.