County's high schools claim national honors

SANDPOINT — It was local high schools’ turn to bring home an excellent report card this week, courtesy of the U.S. News and World Report.

Sandpoint High School, Clark Fork High School and Priest River Lamanna High School all earned accolades from the national online news magazine as three of the top high schools in the state. Sandpoint High School ranked fifth in the top nine Idaho high schools and earned a silver medal, while Clark Fork High School and Priest River Lamanna High School each earned bronze medals.

Of the more than 200 Idaho high schools ranked in the annual evaluation, only a fifth received a gold, silver or bronze medal indicating excellent marks in student-to-teacher ratio, college preparation for students and math and reading proficiency.

Sandpoint High School was one of eight Idaho schools that received a silver medal for its achievements and ranks at number 1,472 nationally among the more than 21,000 public high schools under consideration. According to the study data, Sandpoint has a 16-to-one student-teacher ratio and maintains 85 percent proficiency in math and 93 percent proficiency in reading. In addition, 29 percent of seniors took Advanced Placement testing, 80 percent of whom passed.

According to Sandpoint High School principal Becky Meyer, the high performance is all thanks to a very attentive and dedicated staff.

“We focus on looking at each individual student and meeting their specific needs, from those who are at risk to those in the upper quartile,” she said.

The achievements also bode well in the school’s integration of Common Core State Standards, which has been an ongoing process this year. As an evidence-based approach to learning that regularly assesses each individual, the school’s strong performance will help prepare students for the future, Meyer said.

Principal Phil Kemink of Clark Fork High School is equally enthusiastic about the commendation, which the school has now earned six years running. The school has a 100-percent proficiency in reading, a 76-percent proficiency in math, and maintains a 10-to-one student-teacher ratio.

“I love it, but now I want to go after that silver medal,” he said.

The reason Clark Fork High School can’t currently advance to the next tier of schools, Kemink said, is because it is too small to offer AP classes. However, that could soon change. Clark Fork High School and Sandpoint High School are working on an arrangement that would allow Clark Fork students to tap into the larger school’s AP offerings.

Even without AP classes, the school’s staff takes strides to ready and encourage their students toward a college career, including offering several dual-credit opportunities. According to Kemink, the value of higher education is something school staff never understate.

“Living in a small, rural pocket like this, even with the world at our fingertips nowadays, it can be difficult to look beyond the small town life,” Kemink said.  

 Finally, Priest River Lamanna High School won its bronze medal with a 13-to-one student-teacher ratio, 93-percent proficiency in reading and 87-percent proficiency in math. Principal Paul Kubena is reluctant to take any credit for the achievement, as it’s his first year on the job. Instead, he gives students, staff and his predecessor, Shelley Brooks, the credit.

“It’s a real tribute to the hard work of the students and staff,” he said. “This is a small school, and small schools often don’t get the recognition they deserve, especially when it comes to staff.”