Top 100 Best High Schools 2013 – Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky – Newsweek – 1/100

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The Gatton Academy (Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky) is a public academy and an early college entrance program funded by the state of Kentucky and located on the campus of Western Kentucky University.[2] It began in the 2007-2008 school year. The Academy admits 64 qualifying high school boys and girls (for a total of 128 students admitted) each year to spend their junior and senior years on the WKU campus taking classes at the university. The students are selected on basis of grades, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, teacher and community leader recommendations, personal interview, and interest in a science, mathematical or engineering career,[3] and focus their classes mainly on mathematics and sciences. Students of the Academy are considered both undergraduates and high school students by Kentucky and federal scholarship programs. As such, they are qualified for undergraduate research programs, scholarships, honors, and even (in exceptional cases) bachelor’s degrees, but at the same time must take the classes required by the state of Kentucky for a high school diploma (and, if still enrolled in their home high school, the classes required by their previous school). Students also have the option of being dually-enrolled, or, remaining students at their home high schools while attending the Academy. However, some private schools will not allow students to remain enrolled while attending the Academy. This dual-enrollment option allows students, in some cases, to remain eligible for services offered by their home highschool (guidance, textbook funding). However, this option also requires students to meet state graduation requirements, and participate in CATs testing. The home schools benefit from this arrangement by receiving the test scores from their respective Gatton scholars.
In 2011 the Gatton Academy was honored with a place on Newsweek’s Public Elite list for the second year in a row, a list of the nation’s 20 top public high schools, as graded by scores on standardized tests. The Gatton Academy has been recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of the nation’s top five high schools. America’s Best High Schools 2011 recognized more than 500 schools from across the United States. In June of 2012 the Gatton Academy was recognized as Newsweek’s Top School in America.