Brian Smith has seen a lot of change in South-Western City Schools since he started teaching social studies at Grove City High School about 14 years ago.
Over the past eight years, enrollment has been steady, with 1,852 students in 2016-2017 and 1,834 enrolled this year. The district has built four new middle schools and renovated a number of elementary schools.
One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the district’s dedication to preparing students for the future and giving them the drive to succeed.
In 2023, GCHS was listed as one of U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools for 2023, reflecting district efforts to engage students and never stop improving.
What’s in a ranking?
Courtesy of SWCSD
Grove City High School
When the rankings were released at the end of October, GCHS was listed in the top 31 percent of 17,500 eligible schools in the country, and the top 20 percent in Ohio.
According to its website, U.S. News & World Report looks for schools “whose students demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math, reading and science state assessments, earned qualifying scores in an array of college-level exams, and graduated in high proportions.” This standard rendered more than 8,000 schools ineligible from the start.
To evaluate those credentials, each school is given a score from zero to 100 in the following categories: college readiness, college curriculum breadth, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance and graduation rate.
GCHS received an overall score of 69.03, placing in the top 20-30 percent in three categories – college readiness, curriculum breadth and state assessment – in Ohio and the top 28-35 percent in the nation.
The school also had a graduation rate of 93.3 percent in four years and a 33 percent AP participation rate.
Putting in the work
Smith, like many of his colleagues, is not surprised that GCHS performed so well.
“We have a great collection of kids,” he says. “I love coming to work every day and just hearing what they have to say next about some of their experiences. And I know, in my classes, so many kids are eager to learn.”
Students’ excitement and commitment to learning inspire Smith and his colleagues to challenge them and prepare them for the future.
Some days, Smith works with his students on essays and grades their work according to a College Board rubric. He shares real-world topics in his classes, such as what working at the polls looks like and how to get involved with local government.
Not only does he want students to be prepared for state and AP testing, he wants them to leave his classes as well-rounded people.
“On one hand, you need to develop some of the skills, the analytical reading, the essay writing, those sort of things,” Smith says. “At the same time, (you need) hands-on application and then the real-world reflection. So all of those things kind of weave together. Sometimes I’m not even sure how it happens, but it all comes together at the end.”
Courtesy of SWCSD
Grove City High School Classroom
Whether they plan to enter the workforce, join the military or go on to college, South-Western City Schools strives to help each student prepare for their future. Here are some ways students began their post-secondary journeys in 2022-2023:
- 105 students earned industry-recognized credentials
- 266 students enrolled in College Credit Plus classes
- 6 students earned associate’s degrees
- 12 students enlisted in the military
Students from GCHS were collectively awarded roughly $13.2 million in scholarships in 2023.
Real-world impact
Kaiden Yowell is a recent graduate of GCHS. After finishing up his senior year last spring, Yowell started his college career at The Ohio State University, where he is majoring in psychology and working toward a minor in math.
Yowell recognized how hard his teachers worked to not only cover their designated class topics, but to make sure students were prepared for state and national benchmarks.
“With things like the ACT or with state testing, my classes would do an intro,” he says. “Like, ‘Here’s five questions, actually from ACT practice tests or state practice tests. Before class, get these done, we’ll go through these quickly then we’ll get into our stuff.’ So it’s like just a little dose, and then resume (the class’s topic).”
One of the most helpful resources in his preparation for college was something his counselor introduced to him: the OSU Academy program.
Yowell took four classes, two in sociology and two in math, through this College Credit Plus program during his junior and senior years. As with the ACT practice questions, he says, those classes gave him a taste of what college would be like and helped him learn how to get through the next four years.
Rachel Karas is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at rkaras@cityscenmediagroup.com.
