Oak Ridge students benefit from high school's A+ status

OAK RIDGE, Mo. -- A local school is one of 33 listed as "A+." Oak Ridge High School was granted the designation Thursday by the State Board of Education.

As a result, qualified seniors will be eligible for state-paid tuition assistance to attend a community college or public technical school. School counselor Jerry Witvoet said at least eight students at Oak Ridge are already counting on the state program to help pay tuition at technical schools and junior colleges.

"If we hadn't received the A+ designation, then the students would have been forced to scale back their plans or find financial resources elsewhere," Witvoet said.

To qualify for tuition assistance, students must attend an A+ high school for three years and maintain a 95 percent attendance record. In addition, they must have a grade point average of at least 2.5 and perform 50 hours of unpaid tutoring in their school district.

Witvoet said school employees had been working for the past three years with the goal of reaching that designation. After the last evaluation, they felt confident, he said.

High schools that seek A+ status must toughen their academic standards, reduce the dropout rate and expand career exploration opportunities for all students.

Created under the Outstanding Schools Act of 1993, the A+ high school program is expected to receive about $18 million in support this year.

Thursday, the total number of A+ high schools in Missouri rose to 171. Gov. Bob Holden announced the list in a news release.

"The A+ Schools program has been one of the real success stories of recent years in Missouri's public school system," Holden said. "It's opening doors to higher education for Missouri families, and it's contributing to higher standards and higher achievement in our schools."

Since 1997, more than 15,500 high school graduates have qualified for state-funded tuition assistance.

abuchanan@semissourian.com

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