UPDATED: Simley Recognized by Newsweek, Washington Post

A successful high school doesn't stand on its own, Inver Grove Heights School Board Chair Mickey Difronzo said. Instead, it is the product of the community it represents.

And when that school receives an award, it is a tribute not just to the educators and students, but the cumulative effort of an entire city, Difronzo added.

Such is the case, Difronzo believes, with Simley High School, which was ranked 478th this summer on Newsweek's annual list of the top high schools in the nation. It is the fourth year the high school has received the recognition, and this year's ranking is a marked improvement from the ranking the school received in 2010, when it placed 800th on the list.

“We’ve always believed that our academics stand by themselves and that it’s not just a reflection of our high school, because these students have been coming all the way through,” Difronzo said.

Newsweek determines its annual rankings on six key components: Graduation
rates, college matriculation rate, Advanced Placement tests taken per graduate,
average SAT/ACT scores, average AP/IB/AICE scores and the sheer number of AP
courses offered. Each criterion is given a different weight, according to the magazine.

Nine other schools in Minnesota also made the list, including Edina, Mahtomedi, Lakeville North, Century, Eden Prairie, St. Louis Park Senior, Andover and Apple Valley. Of all the Minnesota schools on the list, Edina ranked highest, placing 76th.

In order to be considered for Newsweek's list, each school had to complete a survey requesting specific data from the 2009-2010 academic year. In total, more than 1,100 schools were assessed to produce the final list of the top high schools.

The award is the second Simley has received in one month. Earlier in June, the Washington Post ranked Simley the 15th best public high school in the state in its High School Challenge.

In 2009, Simley was ranked 1,144th on Newsweek's list. In 2008, the school placed 1,034th.

"I liked all of the opportunities that Simley gave me: Athletics, AP classes and
PSEO," 2011 Simley graduate Sadie Saindon wrote in a press release issued by the school district.

"The data that drives these rankings speaks for itself," wrote Simley High School Principal Jerry Sakala in a press release. "Students at Simley High School continue to invest in their education and begin to work towards accomplishing life goals, making Simley an academic institution known for equipping students with the proper tools for success at college and beyond."