By GARRETT NEESE

gneese@mininggazette.com

HOUGHTON — Houghton High School finished 33rd in the state — and top in the Upper Peninsula — in recent U.S. News & World Report rankings of high schools in America.

The rankings include data on nearly 24,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Schools were evaluated in six categories: the percentage of students who took — and the percentage who passed — at least one Advanced Placement exam; graduation rate; and proficiency in math, reading and science.

Superintendent Anders Hill said the district is “really proud” of the ranking. It’s in line with other recent rankings in the district, he said.

“Great teachers make great schools, and we have great teachers and staff,” he said. We have unbelievable community support and parent support. All those things and building blocks, the way we work with kindergarteners and first graders all the way up to seniors in high school. It’s nice to see that pay off. I don’t think any of us are worried about teaching to a test, but it’s nice to see it show up in those rankings.”

The ranking is consistent with where the district has been in years past, which High School Principal Tiffany Scullion was happy to see after wondering how the pandemic would impact students.

As a district, Houghton has added more mental health supports since the pandemic began, particularly in the high school levels, Scullion said. The high school has also added more credit recovery options for students in the summer.

“Our teachers have worked on transitioning from that online format, maybe a little lower level, maybe more flexibility, to gradually ease students back into what’s more normal, or what we saw because we were out of the building so much,” she said.

Staff regularly review grades and attendance, and provide additional guidance or instruction to struggling students, Scullion said. During study hall, the National Honor Society runs a study hub throughout the year.

“That way, there are high school students who can help other students with their homework, or review papers that they’re writing,” she said.

For the highest-performing students, teachers stay on top of what’s coming from the College Board. Last fall, AP teachers spent part of an in-service day reviewing the new online platform for AP classes, which includes unit guides and progress checks.

“They keep adding more information to that and updating it so it has more options for the teachers to use, and so giving them time to be able to really delve into that, and provide them with some PD (professional development) on how they can be using this to help support their AP students,” she said.

The high school also looks at ways to collaborate with Michigan Technological University and Gogebic Community College. Scullion said the school has had conversations with Gogebic about creating certification programs for students. Another potential option is creating dual-enrollment programs that can be held at the school to eliminate the need for students to travel.

“We’re just trying to brainstorm ways that we can provide more opportunities for our students,” Scullion said.

For the fall, Houghton High School is looking at expanding its Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program for more hours. The industrial arts wing will be reorganized to provide more space.

While no new courses are planned for the fall, the course catalog might also be revamped. Rather than group classes together by type, it might highlight electives that connect to a particular career path.

“If you wanted to go to Michigan Tech for engineering, you probably want to take CAD because we use the same program that Michigan Tech uses,” Scullion said. “…We’re just trying to think of ways we can provide students with more information, ‘When you’re thinking of stuff for the future, what would be of benefit for you?'”