The Washington Post has listed Ballston Spa High School as one of America’s Most Challenging High Schools in 2017.
The high school was recognized prior in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016. The High School joins Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School as one of only two schools from the region to qualify for this annual recognition.
Ballston Spa High School is included as one of about 12 percent of the schools selected for this year’s list, out of approximately 22,000 U.S. public high schools, according to The Washington Post. The qualifications focus on student participation in advanced high school coursework, including Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and the Cambridge University Courses.
“Strength of transcript is a critical piece of the college admissions process, and access to advanced coursework helps position our students to be as competitive as possible,” said Superintendent Joseph P. Dragone. “We are constantly expanding our portfolio of advanced coursework, including in 2017-2018 the addition of 18 courses for college credit through our partnership with Schenectady County Community College as well as Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles.”
Ballston Spa instructional staff members are to be commended for their focus on excellence in the classroom as well as providing program access and opportunity for all students.
The school has also recently received recognition from U.S News & World Report, and this year has seen great success beyond the classroom across co-curricular academic teams including Robotics at all levels, Envirothon, Odyssey of the Mind and the KidWind Challenge.