GateWay Early College High School Makes the Mark
For a second year in a row, GateWay Early College High School (GWECHS), a division of GateWay Community College, received top ranking by the state for its educational quality and academic excellence. The high school is a Title I institution, serving students in the GateWay/Sky Harbor neighborhood attending ninth to twelfth grade.
The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) recognized the high school with an “A” grade, which is comparable to the excelling label the ADE used to evaluate schools with previously.
“It is the second year that we have received such a rating by the ADE,” said Principal Lisa Smith. “The rating substantiates our academic achievement and gains over the last three years.”
School rankings are based on a number of factors, including attendance, test scores and dropout rates.
According to the 2010-2011 AIMs scores, the school is at the top of the pack when compared to local area high schools. GWECHS leads in math, writing, reading and science, with some of the local schools falling behind in test scores by 25 to 50 percent.
Also, the school’s dropout rate is impressive, when compared to the state and national averages. It is less than a half percent, with a significant drop from 2010’s rate of 1.2 percent. The graduation rate is 95 percent, up from 89 percent a year earlier.
“Our faculty has been working diligently with the students and responding directly to their strengths and weaknesses,” said Smith. “The bottom line is the GateWay faculty and staff do whatever it takes to prepare our students for college.”
The students are so well prepared for post-secondary education that all of the students in the last graduating class have enrolled in college and/or university-level courses.
The school, located in the MA Building, has 13 faculty and eight staff, serving approximately 250 students.
For information about GateWay Early College High School, visit http://www.gatewaycc.edu/ECHS/ or call (602) 286-8759.