by Dennis Dalman
news@thenewsleaders.com
Sartell High School is one of three schools in outstate Minnesota that earned ratings of “excellence” among nearly 22,000 public schools in the nation.
St. Cloud Tech garnered a silver medal, one of 42 Minnesota schools who merited silver. Sartell High School and Rocori High School, Cold Spring, each were honored with bronze medals. They were among 42 Minnesota schools honored with bronze. There were also seven gold medals given to schools in the state.
The annual ratings program is a venture by U.S. News and World Reports magazine and the American Institute for Research.
The ratings are based on the following criteria:
1. Overall performance of students on state tests.
2. Performances that topped the state averages among disadvantaged students.
3. Student scores on college-level, advanced-placement tests or international baccalaureate testing.
Tech High School ranked 35th in Minnesota and 1,357th in the nation. The silver medal, which Tech was given, is awarded to the high schools ranked from 501-2,008. A gold medal is given to those schools ranked from 1-500.
Sartell and Rocori earned a bronze medal for excellence in the first two of the above three categories.
The top-rated school in Minnesota, which earned a gold medal, is Southwest High School, Minneapolis. Most of the other highest-ranking schools are in the Twin Cities area.