The Lake Oswego School District was recognized by StartClass, an education research website, as the number one school district in the United States of America. StartClass used information from the U.S. Department of Education and ratings are primarily based off of math and reading state tests. Institutional factors such as the student to teacher ratio were also put into consideration as well.  

In the 2013 to 2014 school year, LHS scored above 95 percent of the state in reading, 94 percent in mathematics, and 93 percent in writing.  The school’s high performance on state tests continued in the 2014 to 2015 school year, which is the school year StartClass based their data off of.

“Lakeridge has always been demanding and I have seen it as a ‘college prep’ school since I started as a freshman.  It does not surprise me to be considered the best school district, however, I feel like no one really cares about who the number one school is unless it is one’s own school,” said senior Georgie Rivera.

There are lots of different companies and websites who do research on what school districts are performing the best, and all of them have different scoring systems and different factors that play into where a school district might be listed.  That is why the Lake Oswego School District may be number one on StartClass, but ranked 263 on Niche, another website which provides reviews and insights on school districts.  

“If all of the research sites and companies all listed Lake Oswego School District as no.1, then I would believe it, but there are so many different ways to look at what makes a school district good that it’s hard to compare them all accurately,” said sophomore Eliza Donaghy.    “It is cool to be called number one, but it doesn’t make me think our school district is any greater than I already knew it was.”  

As for the staff and administration of LHS, hearing the name of the school they teach at be called the best in the nation, they must be some very proud of their students success and the success they bring to the community and world.

“I feel honored to be the principal of a school that can succeed academically on such a high level.  I am very proud of what the students here have accomplished,” said principal Jennifer Schiele.  

Although this is a happy time and moment for all who are involved at the school, an interesting point was brought up, again by Schiele.

“”It just makes me wonder how Oregon’s state test compare to other states and their tests.  The new Smarter Balance test, which will be given across the nation, not just in one state, will provide StartClass with better and less-biased data. Right now, each state has their own test, so some tests could be easier or more challenging than others.”

Schools are freaking awesome, they are a necessary part of our world today in order to educate the growing population.  While some schools may be better in terms of performance, all schools are unique and have something different to offer to its students.  All schools are number one at trying to make the world a smarter, more intelligent place to live.