Northwestern Regional High School recognized as one of nation's best

WINSTED — The Region 7 School District has been recognized as operating one of the nation’s best American high schools by a leading national magazine.

U.S. News & World Report awarded Northwestern Regional High School a silver medal for delivering an outstanding education to its students in its annual America’s Best High Schools report, which was published Dec. 9.

“We’re kind of excited about it,†Region 7 Superintendent Clint Montgomery said Monday. “It’s nice to be up at the top.â€

High school Principal Wayne Connor agreed.

“It’s a huge acknowledgment of the hard work and talent of our school, our staff and our kids,†he said, adding that this is the first time the district has been recognized with this type of honor on a national scale. “It’s a real high.â€

Each year, through the report, gold, silver and bronze medals are awarded to high-achieving high schools all across the nation. Several districts also receive honorable mentions.

In this year’s report, Region 7 was one of only 12 Connecticut high schools to receive a silver medal, and the only district in Litchfield County to be recognized by the magazine.

Although no individual Connecticut districts received a gold medal for 2009, the state finished first in the nation for high school education.

According to information posted on the U.S. New & World Report’s Web site, the magazine used a scoring methodology that was developed by School Evaluation Services, a K-12 education data research business run by Standard & Poor’s, to determine this year’s results.

“A three-step process determined the best high schools. The first two steps ensured that the schools serve all their students well, using state proficiency standards as the benchmarks,†the magazine stated. “For those schools that made it past the first two steps, a third step assessed the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work.â€

To read the full report and supplementary articles, visit U.S. News & World Report online at usnews.com.

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