Rewarding achievement: Waynesboro High School named most improved in the state

A business magazine Thursday named Waynesboro High School the most improved high school in Virginia.

BusinessWeek compiled the national rankings by working with GreatSchools, a San Francisco nonprofit organization.

“I’m extremely pleased and excited,’’ said Waynesboro Schools Superintendent Robin Crowder. “Our staff has worked hard to help every child in that building. I believe this is another indication of the hard work they have put forth to help every child at the high school.”

High schools received most improved, best low income and best overall academic performance in all 50 states based on the most recent available math, reading and science standardized test scores.

Math and reading were weighted twice as heavily as science.

Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria was rated Virginia’s best academic high school and John Marshall High School in Richmond the state’s best low-income high school.

Waynesboro High Principal Tim Teachey said he appreciated the recognition because it came from an outside source.

“It’s nice when someone outside the area is able to recognize what we are doing,’’ he said. Teachey credits improvement to a cohesive atmosphere at the school.

“All our folks are on the same page,’’ he said. Teachey said teachers and students in all subject areas want the others to do well. The principal also paid tribute to the school district’s central office, which he said provides strong instructional support.

Teachey said Waynesboro High has succeeded in aligning its curriculum so that students are prepared for Standards of Learning testing each spring. He said students also receive regular practice assessments in classes during the year.

While educators frequently have chafed at the amount of testing required under the federal No Child Left Behind law, Teachey said students have been forced to become critical thinkers earlier in their academic careers than they were before testing became prevalent.

Charles Dubow, who edited the project for BusinessWeek, said “finding the right school for your children is so important that even in this economy parents may be willing to move – or stay put. We want to help them make the best-informed decision.”