O’Neill ranks high on US News & World Report list
For the second year in a row, James I. O’Neill High School has been ranked first in Orange County high schools in the annual US News & World Reports ‘Best High School’ list.
The list is based on “college readiness, math and reading proficiency and performance, under-served student performance, graduation rates and college-level curriculum”.
The magazine utilizes third-party sources — the US Department of Education and the College Board — to collect data and calculate its ranks.
Overall, 17,245 high schools in the nation were ranked, and 1204 in New York.
O’Neill scored 182nd in New York and 2031 in the national rankings.
In Orange County, Warwick Valley was just behind O’Neill at 199, Cornwall came in at 238, Monroe-Woodbury 323, Tuxedo 325, Goshen 363, Wallkill 372, Valley Central 392, Pine Bush 395, Minisink Valley 430, Washingtonville 481, and Chester Academy 527.
School officials were pleased to hear the good news — Superintendent Dr. Frank Sheboy expressed his pride at the school’s accomplishments.
“Once again, this recognition illustrates the amazing work our students, faculty and staff do every day and the high quality of the academic program that is delivered by the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District,” he said.
Sheboy accepted congratulations from the Town Board on Monday evening, and added that the “support of the Board of Education and
community” adds to the “team effort” leading to success.
O’Neill Principal Debbie Brand said she is proud.
She attributed various factors to the success of her students: “O’Neill students are a special and unique group. They bring a wide range of experiences and talents to our hallways. Their prowess and hard work combined with our outstanding faculty and staff allow our young people to truly flourish and reach their potential.”
Accomplishments she noted: The average O’Neill SAT scores of 1230 ranked top in the county and more than 200 points above the national average; 63% of the students who sit for AP exams score a ‘3’ or better; the graduation rate is well above 90%; and students reach proficiency on many of the Regents examinations offered.
“Last year, 88% of students reached proficiency in ELA while 72% did so on the Algebra 1 exam,” she said. “88% of Geometry students and 96% of Algebra II students reached proficiency as well.”
Outside of academics, O’Neill students “flourish” in various extracurricular activities, school officials said.
“The choral and band programs regularly receive awards for their top-tier performances, the Mock Trial Team is the 2019 County champion, the JROTC program is one of the best in the state and the country, and the Youth in Government team won many county and state-level accolades,” Brand said. “Athletic teams regularly are named as scholar-athlete teams by the state and match this performance on the field as well, winning Division and Sectional titles for the past several years.”
