Alabama's Central High School Identified As a Model Small Southernhigh School Beating the Odds

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ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- At Central High School in Lowndes County, Ala., a combination of high expectations for students and a rigorous academic program have helped the school achieve a remarkable turnaround in the last four years. Since 2000 when only 54 percent of students passed the language portion of the Alabama High School Graduation Examination, the school made steady strides toward achieving a 100 percent pass rate in 2003-04. The school has also reduced its four-year projected dropout rate to 2.9 percent, far below the state's average of 14 percent.

Facing challenging circumstances, Central High is one of five identified model small schools in poverty-stricken rural areas and small towns in the South that are beating the odds to outperform most other schools in their state. In a new report prepared for the Southern Governor's Association, "Beating the Odds: High Performing High Schools in the South," the Rural School and Community Trust chronicles these exceptional small schools and the secrets behind the high quality education they provide.

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Alabama's Central High School Identified As a Model Small Southernhigh School Beating the Odds

Compared to others in their state, the five high schools are smaller than median size; have higher than average poverty; made adequate y...

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