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Midvale Journal

AMES continues ranked amongst Utah’s best public high schools

Oct 01, 2022 06:08PM ● By Julie Slama

By Julie Slama | [email protected]

With the release of the annual U.S. News & World Report of best high schools, which reviews nearly 24,000 U.S. public high schools, AMES tops the list in Utah.

Since 2016, AMES has achieved high marks, placing it in the top 10. This year, the public charter school ranked fourth of the 163 Utah schools that made their ratings. AMES stands for Academy for Math, Engineering and Science and is located on the Cottonwood High School campus.

AMES Principal Brett Wilson said the school’s mission is supported by students, parents, teachers and staff and the school’s Board of Trustees.

“We try to build a culture where students can be successful at and above the level that they come to us with,” he said.

The scorecard included evaluating AMES graduation rate, at 92%; mathematics and reading proficiency; as well as the number of students taking at least one Advanced Placement exam and passing at least one AP exam.

AMES also ranked in the state’s top 10 in college readiness index rank as well as state assessment proficiency and performance ranks.

The school has received other outstanding recognition, such as in 2020, AMES was named as a National Elementary and Secondary Education Act Distinguished School for its outstanding academic achievement.

“We don’t handpick our students. We take kids in a blind lottery across the valley and almost all graduate and take some kind of concurrent class while in high school. That’s the rigor we offer and expect of our students,” Wilson said.

Forty-seven percent of AMES students are identified as minority with Asian and Hispanic comprising of the majority. The male to female ratio is 52 to 48.

Other area schools that were ranked in the Utah top 10 include Beehive Science and Technology Academy in Sandy at first; Itineris Early College High School in West Jordan at fifth; Corner Canyon High in Draper at seventh; and Skyline High in Salt Lake City at eighth.