We Love Our Rankings

Humans love to rank things. Best schools, best restaurants, best movies, best dog(s) (I won this one); however, all rankings must be taken with a grain of salt. Not entirely as arbitrary as ranking our favorite Halloween candy, but school rankings are essentially inconsistent at best. 

The most accessible measuring stick is applied to standardized test scores. Considering how well CCHS students perform on those exams, it would be in our best interest to highlight those results as the most critical factor, but truthfully they are only one measurement form. 

Recently I received an inquiry from concerned parents regarding high school rankings published in US News. I provide details below outlining our rankings. Also, I would encourage readers to listen to Malcolm Gladwell's Podcast on this very topic. "Revisionist History: Lord of the Rankings"

Several national and local publications use various metrics to rank public high schools across the state and country. They measure multiple things ranging from student achievement to school resources.  

I will refrain from delving too deep into the particulars, but there are countless ways to compare school systems, and most are subjective and difficult to quantify.

Helping guide and prepare students to excel, succeed, and grow academically, socially, and emotionally while providing a positive and supportive environment that allows young adolescents to remain curious, kind, empathetic, and hard-working, remains a worthy goal worth pursuing.  

There is no doubt that CCHS is a high-achieving academic institution that excels in many areas, and it is a fantastic place to come to school and work every day. There is also little doubt we are surrounded by high-achieving high schools filled with many talented and bright kids. They give us hope. 

There are 378 high schools in Massachusetts and tens of thousands nationwide.  

Below, I provide information on a few national ranking systems and present data from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary education regarding standardized test scores, but one measure of a school system. 

Nevertheless, you will find CCHS ranks near the top of the list when measured solely on academic performance.

Niche

CCHS earns an A+ and ranks #19 out of 378 in Massachusetts and #362 out of 19,984 nationaly

SAT Scores

CCHS Ranks #10 in Reading & Writing

CCHS Ranks # 13 in Math

AP Scores

CCHS Ranks #4 in AP Performance

US World News

CCHS Ranks # 48 in Massachusetts, just below Ashland and Duxbury, and 1,059 nationaly. If you take a deeper dive into the metrics (see Lexington & Concord scorecard below) we "lose" significant points for offering less AP exams along with a parallel metric, of "passing one AP exam.

Lexington Scorecard

Concord Carlisle Scorecard

Safety Reminder, A Holocaust Survivor's Story, Climate for Freedom Award, CCHS Music, Debate Team News, Samara Reid, Robotics Team, August Lee-Kovach, Nico Calabria, College Admissions Article

Important Safety Reminder 

For the concern and safety of our students, there is no drop-off or pick-up outside the cafeteria between 7:15 am - 8:00 am AND 2:15 pm - 3:00 pm. Drop off/pick up during these times are only in front of the school by the flag pole. Please adhere to these rules for the safety of our students.

My Friend Abe: A Holocaust Survivor's Story

On April 27th from 7 pm—8 pm at Willard Elementary School (185 Powder Mill Rd, Concord, MA 01742), Mr. Steve Goldberg, a Holocaust Historian will visit Concord to present his life’s work, My Friend Abe: A Holocaust Survivor's Story. We are very fortunate that Mr. Goldberg will be presenting Abe’s story of survival to our school community, as we observe Jewish Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) on April 27th—28th. Click on the flyer for additional details and to RSVP.

Climate for Freedom Award for 2022

The CCHRC is pleased to announce that there are two recipients from two of our local schools for our Climate for Freedom Award for 2022. They are the Concord Middle School (CMS) Gender and Sexuality Alliance (formerly CMS LGBTQ+ and Allies) and the Concord-Carlisle Spectrum Club at Concord Carlisle High School (CCHS). This is the first time there are co-recipients of the award. You can read the full article here.

The Awards were presented on Sunday, April 3rd, 2022 in the Learning Commons at Concord Carlisle High School. Representatives from CCHS Spectrum Club: Phe O’Leary, Francis Davies, and Alex Nugent (pictured below). Congratulations Spectrum Club!

CCHS Music Ensembles Earn High Honors

This past weekend more than 100 CCHS musicians participated in the MICCA (Massachusetts Instrumental and Choral Conductors Association) Concert and Choral Festival, which is held at 7 sites across the Commonwealth. The Select Choir, Orchestra, and Concert Band all participated and earned high honors (Silver, Gold, and Gold respectively) from a panel of expert adjudicators.

A tremendous amount of hard work went into preparing these challenging programs and they represented our school and community at the highest level.

Please congratulate these students when you see them!

- Dave Gresko, Director of Bands and Orchestra, and Deb Smith, Director of Choirs

National Speech & Debate Association Honor Society

The National Speech & Debate Association’s Honor Society recognizes middle school and high school students and coaches for participation in speech and debate activities. Students earn merit points for participation in one of the oldest and most respected honor societies known to college admissions offices.

Members of the Honor Society are held to the Code of Honor, the highest standards of humility, equity, integrity, respect, leadership, and service. Character, personal accountability, and social responsibility have been valued by the organization since its founding in 1925. The Code of Honor reflects the core values of and standards for participation within the organization.

Members earn recognition through points and degrees in the NSDA Honor Society. Each new degree represents hours of learning, practice, and improvement by students thanks to dedicated coaching.

The following degrees were earned at Concord Carlisle High School from 03/01 - 03/31:

Molly Branigan - Special Distinction

Richard Li - Special Distinction

Asher Sun - Excellence

Felicity Zhang - Distinction

Debate Team Wins at MSDL State Tournament

On Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, CCHS sent two strong debate teams to compete at the highly selective Massachusetts Speech and Debate League’s State Tournament, the major effort for the 2021-22 season.

In the varsity division, Molly Branigan & Richard Li have their best showing of the season, earning a 4W-2L record and breaking to octofinals (sweet 16), before losing to the eventual championship team. This was a great effort by our co-captains, and they deserve the trophy they earned in a field of 52 of the best teams in the state.

In the novice division, the team of Felicity Zhang & Asher Sun had a record of 2W-4L, but Felicity was in the top 20% of individual speakers.

CCHS was well represented by some of our most active judges, including Rui Ma (5 rounds), Jen Moffitt (3), Kerry Moffitt (3), Ling Liu (2), John Branigan (2), and Hua Yang (1). Our team has depended upon the excellent support of our parents who judged and chaperoned consistently as needed. Thanks to Jen and Kerry for stepping up even without a debater in the competition.

Samara Reid Wins National Scholastic Art & Writing Award

Congratulations to Samara Reid who won the regional Scholastic Art and Writing Award for several works in the category of digital art.  The entries that won regional Massachusetts Gold Key awards were submitted in the competition for national-level awards.  Samara won two National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards at that level: a Gold Award and a Silver Award. Join me in congratulating Samara on this excellent achievement!

Robotics Team Places First at WPI Event

Congratulations to the Robotics Team who placed First at the New England District WPI Event! The Robotics Team will now move on to the New England District Championship that is being held in Springfield on April 14, 15, and 16. Congratulations to our Robotics coach, Elaine Picard, and to the entire team. Let's go CCHS Robotics!!

August Lee-Kovach Delivers Again

August Lee-Kovach has become the youngest ever creator of a published Sunday NYT crossword puzzle, making his debut at the age of 14 years, 11 months. This is his third puzzle for The Times since last October when he started his run with an excellent Saturday crossword. You can read the full NYT article about August here. Excellent work August!

Nico Calabria Advances to World Cup

Mr. Calabria - CMS 7th grade Social Studies teacher -- captain of the USA National Amputee Soccer Team traveled to San Juan de los Lagos, Mexico to compete in World Cup Qualifier Tournament.  As many of his students know, Mr. Calabria's team won their final match with Haiti and secured advancement to the World Cup! Congratulations Mr. Calabria!!

College Admissions Article

From the Guidance office...

With college admissions decisions in, this is a great article.