What is the College Success Award?

What is the College Success Award?
The College Success Award, launched for the first time in 2018 by GreatSchools, recognizes and celebrates high schools across the country that excel in ensuring students are prepared for college and ultimately career. The Award recognizes schools in nine states where high school level data on college preparation, enrollment, course remediation and persistence were available: AR, CO, FL, GA, KY, IN, MI, MO, and OH. At least four additional states will be added to the Award in 2019.

Note: we were also able to collect these data in Oklahoma but not in time for inclusion in the awards calculation process.

What sets the College Success Award apart from other honors/recognitions for schools?
Whereas other awards are nomination-based and/or rely on self-reported performance, the College Success Award is the first award of its kind based on school-level post-secondary data. It recognizes schools where students enroll in college, are ready for college-level coursework when they get there, and persist through their second year. Research shows students who successfully matriculate through their sophomore year are more likely to complete their degree. By making this data available to educators and advocates, we can identify best practices and successes that can be applied in more schools around the country.

Are private schools eligible for the College Success Award?
No, private schools are not eligible for the Award. Public schools—including magnet and charter schools—are eligible for the Award.

Learn more:
See the a list of the 2018 College Success Award Winners
Explore the best practices of award-winning schools
Read the College Success Awards Report
See the College Success Awards methodology