A recent analysis published in the Des Moines Register was very good news for some of northwest Iowa's school districts.
The newspaper surveyed the grades earned by college freshmen from each of Iowa's public and private high schools; they were attending either the University of Iowa, Iowa State University or the University of Northern Iowa. Among the findings of the analysis were: large high schools were more likely to fall into the bottom 10 percent of Iowa high schools -- rather than the top 10 percent -- for the grades their freshmen alumni received; and small and medium-sized high schools were just as likely to be in the top 10 percent as in the bottom 10 percent.
Results, published in the March 30 Register, bode exceptionally well for the northwest corner of the state. Ranking No. 1 in Iowa -- and atop the list of school districts whose students placed in the top 10 percent in overall freshmen grades during the 2004-2005, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 school years -- was Harris-Lake Park, with an average 3.38 grade. Also scoring in the top 10 percent were Okoboji (3.15) and Sibley-Ocheyedan (3.13).
Another top 10 percent list -- for grades in difficult courses such as chemistry, physics, calculus and advanced composition -- found three northwest Iowa school district included. Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn (3.14), Sibley-Ocheyedan (3.12) and South O'Brien of Paullina (3.02) all made the top-10-percent cut.
We congratulate and commend the aforementioned school districts for demonstrating excellence in preparing their students for their next educational step.
