U.S. News & World Report published its 2014 Best High Schools Rankings on September 9, and for the second year in a row, Early College High School had the honor of being recognized as one of the nation’s best.
With a bronze classification, ECHS was named as one of the top 27 percent of high schools in the nation.
According to the U.S. News website, the rankings include data on more than 19,400 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Colombia. Schools were awarded gold, silver, or bronze medals based on state assessment performance and how prepared students are for college.
“It is a collaborative effort between ECHS and TSTC as well as our supportive community of students, staff and parents that has allowed our campus to improve each year and place us at the top of state and national rankings,” said ECHS Principal Angel Paxton. “I’m proud of the distinctions, accomplishments and success our students have earned. ECHS students are “Not just college ready but college experienced.”
Opened in 2007, the campus kicked-off the district’s efforts to provide students and parents with options in education. It was designed to incorporate the college and high school experience for students, freshman through senior year. The dual-enrollment focus allows ECHS students to start taking college classes at Texas State Technical College their first year of high school at no cost. Traditionally, students would have waited until 11th grade to begin dual-enrollment.
“Our mission is to provide our students and parents with educational choices, and we saw that goal begin with Early College High School,” said Superintendent Dr. Art Cavazos. “Seeing ECHS flourish from its initial design to the great achievements they have come to earn is a testament to not only their staff, students and community but our great partnership with TSTC. I’m proud to have been a part of that as it has provided many of our students the opportunity to excel in both high school and college while preparing them for global achievement.”
This May, ECHS saw 31 graduates celebrate the completion of an associate’s degree or their collegiate academic core in the Texas State Technical College commencement ceremony. The campus even had two students graduate with the distinction of Board Regents Scholars, which is an honor reserved for students graduating with a 4.0 Grade Point Average (GPA).
The campus has also excelled in extracurricular activities, on April 4, the ECHS team placed 19th in the nation in the High School JV Division at the National High School Chess Championship in San Diego. It’s a first-time achievement for many of the students as the club was just started two years ago.
Last October, ECHS students took home first place in the BEST category (overall excellence in all categories) at the 2013 RGV Boosting Engineering, Science & Technology (BEST) Robotics Competition.
In addition to the highly coveted BEST Award, ECHS added the most spirit and sportsmanship award, first place in the Team Exhibit Category and third place in the Engineering Notebook Category to their accomplishment.
It is a collaborative effort between ECHS and TSTC as well as the supportive committment of the students and staff of ECHS that has continued to improve our program and keep us at the top of the state and national ratings. I am so proud of the districtions, accomplishments and success our students have earned. “Not just college ready but college experienced.”
Congratulations to Ms. Paxton and the ECHS staff for their accolade they received from U.S. News & World Report. As a former graduate of 2012, I can attest to the hard work the administration and staff at ECHS administered. They were always there for their students. This high school is above the rest and deserve all the recognition and more. I truly received the best education and preparation to transfer from high school to college level courses at a very young age. This has propelled me to receive my degree in Biology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio in May 2015. Not only did I receive my Academic Core from TSTC , but the level of education I received prepared me for the rigorous course work at St. Mary’s. Because of my experience my little sister Lauren Torres is following the educational journey as a freshman at ECHS. Thank you ECHS and hope to see in May 2015 at your graduation.
Go OWLS!!!!!!!!!!!
Alyssa Andrea Torres
Class of 2012
Showing some improvement. Owls aren’t even ranked in the state yet and we have an incredibly low college readiness index. We have some work to do!