May 30, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Newsweek Ranks Sumner Academy Among Top Schools in the Nation

Sumner Academy of Arts and Science, a college preparatory school that is part of the Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools, has been ranked by Newsweek magazine as being among the top five percent of public high schools in the country.

The May 28 issue of the national news magazine includes its annual "America's Best High Schools" section with rankings and listings for the top 1,200-plus high schools. In this year's list, Sumner Academy ranks 118th. It is the only Kansas City metro high school ranked in the top 500.

The schools are ranked according to a ratio devised by Jay Mathews of Newsweek. The ratio, called the "Challenge Index," is the number of International Baccalaureate and/or Advanced Placement tests taken by all students at the school (during the past year) divided by the number of graduating seniors. It measures which schools are giving their students the "most value" according to Matthews. The Challenge Index was developed and first published in 2003, and since that time, Sumner Academy has been among the top schools listed each year.

"The reason that Sumner Academy does well consistently in the Newsweek ranking is because Jay Matthews is measuring exactly what we know our mission is: to prepare students for, and expose them to, high level curriculum," said Dr. Mary Viveros, principal. "At Sumner this is accomplished mostly through the IB programs and, to a smaller extent, the AP program. Staff know and most students soon realize that they will be held to high levels of performance. Our job is to maintain this tradition, continuing to help young people become scholars."

In May 2006, Newsweek ranked Sumner Academy 117th in the nation, and in 2005 the school was ranked 75th. A 2003 issue of Newsweek listed Sumner as 105th in the nation using the Challenge Index ranking system. Sumner's overall ratio of students taking AP or IB tests continues to climb each year. In 2003, it was 2.340. Currently, it is 3.156.

The magazine article also notes other elements that make high schools "great." They include: excellent teaching, vibrant student populations, creative classes, strong extracurriculars and good principals.

To view the article and the top 1,200 list, go to Newsweek's web site at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18757087/site/newsweek/