Elizabeth High School - Elizabeth, NJ

Elizabeth High School’s vision is to be the best in the world at preparing students for success at the nation’s most competitive colleges. The challenge to have stakeholders embrace such a vision has been achieved through strong district, school, and community leadership based on the belief that students from a low-income, multi-cultural, inner city are capable of competing with the best high school students. Rising test scores are a source of pride and demonstrate the significant power of high expectations. Students are enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement class and most students will take 8 AP classes by the time they graduate. The strengths of AP are professional development for teachers and college level work for students in high school. For underclassmen, additional time is scheduled for writing, reading, inquiry, collaboration, and research strategies relevant for success with college level text. Since AP has been introduced to underclassmen, gains in SAT scores have been realized as these students become juniors and seniors. Moreover, the number of students graduating high school passing at least one AP test, a leading predictors of college success, has risen significantly to 69%. Data from National Student Clearinghouse demonstrate that 96% of students who go on to college return for their sophomore year. Elizabeth High School is recognized by three national publications as one of the best high schools in America, including a ranking of 15 in the nation by the Daily Beast as a “Changemaker School” doing "the most with the least."