DALLAS, May 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Uplift Education, the largest group of free public charter schools in North Texas, was recently recognized by Jay Mathews Challenge Index as having some of the top high schools in the nation.
The Jay Mathews Challenge Index list, which has been rating American schools since 1998, is based on student participation in challenging, college-level courses and tests, such as Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) and the Cambridge exams. The Challenge Index rates schools by the ratio of the number of AP, IB and Cambridge exams taken by all students to the number of seniors graduating.
Uplift North Hills, Uplift Summit International, Uplift Mighty, Uplift Grand, Uplift Hampton, Uplift Luna, Uplift Infinity, Uplift Williams and Uplift Heights were ranked by Mathews among the top half of 1% of high schools in the nation respectively in terms of success and demographics. Other than North Hills, all of Uplift schools have large majorities of low-income students. The Mathews list show the percentage of Uplift’s graduating seniors at each school who passed at least one AP test or IB test in high school. The national average is 23.5 percent. Uplift schools beat that national average by 3x.
This is one of the most impressive records in the country for schools with predominantly disadvantaged students, and for all schools on the Mathews list. Uplift is doing as well or better than most private schools that have few low-income students.
"The Uplift schools have been ranking high on the list for many years," said Jay Mathews of the Challenge Index. "They have a rare respect for the importance of challenging every student, regardless of zip code, so they have a chance to experience difficult college-level classes and very long final exams before they ever get to college."
Uplift Education CEO, Yasmin Bhatia stated, "Increasing student academic achievement has always been our top priority. Now it is clear by objective measures that we are elevating college and career aspirations for all students and ensuring every student has the tools to not only meet but exceed those aspirations. On behalf of Uplift Education, I congratulate our staff, scholars, and parents for a job well done! Achieving such high rankings is certainly an accomplishment worth celebrating."
Traditionally, more than 80% of Uplift high school students sit for International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme assessments and can earn up to 24 college credit hours. Uplift provides every student with access to a more rigorous curriculum and a more robust college preparation program.
Jay Mathews Challenge Index is the only list that compares participation in college-level AP, IB and Cambridge tests to develop a unique measure of the depth of learning. Teachers cannot dumb down the exams because they are written and graded by independent experts. Success on the exams has been linked with success in college.
Uplift Education
Uplift Education is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of teachers, families, and, most importantly, students. With a network of 45 college-preparatory public charter schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Uplift offers students of any background the powerful chance to study within a multidisciplinary curriculum and prepare for the college career they deserve. Uplift is the largest International Baccalaureate district in Texas and the #2 IB district in the nation because of the number of holistic extracurricular and educational programs. The incredible educators in the Uplift network guide and teach over 21,000 students in Pre-K- 12th grades, with the majority being low-income and minority students who will be the first in their family to attend college. For more information, Uplift’s mission and their blind lottery selection system, visit uplifteducation.org or facebook.com/uplifteducation.
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SOURCE Uplift Education
