Two area high schools have been awarded a bronze standing on U.S. News’ Best High Schools list.

Brandywine Middle/High School and Edwardsburg High School have been recognized in the publication’s annual rankings of high schools in the state of Michigan.

According to U.S. News, the rankings are meant to identify the top-performing public high schools in the state and in the country. The goal of the rankings are to provide an unbiased view of how well public schools serve their students in preparing them to demonstrate proficiency in basic skills and readiness for
college-level work.

U.S. News uses data from Common Core, advanced placement, statewide accountability proficiency test results and graduation rates in their calculations for how schools are ranked on the list. Minority and economically disadvantaged student percentages are also factors.

While every public high school is eligible for ranking, not every school in the area was included in the Best High School list, which is why many, including representatives from Brandywine and Edwardsburg, believe it is an honor to be ranked with one of the list’s highest awards, a bronze, silver or gold rank.

Brandywine

Brandywine Middle/High School has been ranked bronze in the U.S. News’ Michigan high schools list and the national list.

Though the school has received accolades before, such as being named a Michigan Rewards School in 2013, this is the first year that Brandywine has made the Best High School list, which is something that Principal Pat Weckel is excited about.

“It’s absolutely wonderful,” Weckel said. “The staff and the students have worked very hard throughout the years to accomplish this.”

Weckel believes it is the individual care that the school provides for each student that has made the school successful.

Examples of this individual care include the school’s new Delta Math program, which aims to increase the school’s math performance, and after school programs, which aim to help students who are temporarily struggling in core subjects.

According to U.S. News’ report, Brandywine has a slightly below average proficiency in math for the state, but an above average proficiency in English.

Currently, 47 percent of Brandywine students are proficient in English classes, which is higher than the state average of 40 percent.

“The teachers have been working extremely hard on writing in the last two years,” Weckel said. “It starts in seventh grade. By the time they are seniors, they are writing in-depth research papers.”

The school also has a high percentage of graduates for the state of Michigan, with 94 percent of students graduating.

“Our counselors work very hard making sure that every kid is on track to graduate,” Weckel said. “If they fall off track, we have credit recovery throughout the year, and we also have summer school.”

Weckel hopes to keep Brandywine on the Best High Schools list for years to come and hopes to increase their ranking even further.

“We are going to keep doing what we’ve doing,” he said. “Our teachers are always working hard on new instructional strategies and trying to keep classes interesting.”

Edwardsburg

Edwardsburg High School has made bronze on the Best High Schools list, nationally and statewide, for the last four years, according to Principal Ryan Markel.

However, this does not mean that the school is unexcited about the ranking.

“We are obviously honored to receive the award,” Markel said.

Markel believes that Edwardsburg High School cares for every student individually, from those with test scores in the bottom 30 percent of students to those who are college-bound, that has helped them make the list year after year.

“We care. Our teachers care. We are willing to go the extra mile,” Markel said. “Our students, abnormal to what I have seen in other schools, are here after school and in class getting additional help when they need it.”

According to U.S. News’ report, Edwardsburg has above average scores in English and math. The school has a 68 percent proficiency in English, compared with the state’s 40 percent, and a 47 percent proficiency in math, compared with the state’s 30 percent.

“Our math and English scores have been up there, so we are trying to transition to focus more on social studies and science,” Markel said. “We want to provide a well-rounded education, but we will not lose sight of math and English because those are the driving factors of education.”

Edwardsburg High School also has an above average graduation rate of 96 percent.

In the future, Markel hopes to keep the school at the high level it is at by addressing the needs of each student individually.

“We make sure every student is successful,” Markel said. “Every student can learn and grow. Some are just already really, really high and some are lower, so we individualize instruction for every student.”

Other high ranking schools on the list in the southwest Michigan area include Bridgman High School, Coloma High School, Countryside Academy and Watervliet High School with bronze rankings, and Lakeshore High School, New Buffalo Senior High School and St. Joseph High School with silver rankings.