National Report Ranks Lakes High Third In Pierce County For College Readiness

is ranked third in Pierce County for college readiness in U.S. News and World Report's 2012 College Readiness Index.

According to information from the Clover Park School District, Lakes' college readiness index value is 25.3. College readiness is factored by the percentages of seniors who took and passed Advanced Placement exams.

Lakes' score is higher than Gig Harbor High School (24.2), Curtis High School (23.4) and Peninsula High School (22.6). Only Emerald Ridge High School (28.2) and White River High School (26.3) had higher values.

Lakes has instituted an AP Summer Academy, where students become acclimated to the rigor of AP classes. The school also offers a range of AP classes including Government, Statistics and Calculus. AP math across CPSD had a 37 percent increase in enrollment over the past year.

"Here at Lakes, we encourage every student to take at least one AP class before they graduate," said Ted Cohn, Lakes' English department chair, in the district's news release. "We have a number of AP options from art and music to English and calculus to fit a variety of college-level needs. At Lakes, AP is not exclusive."

The U.S. News and World Report also measured the average proficiency among high-school seniors in math and reading, as measured by the percentage of students who met standard on the Measurements of Student Progress. Harrison Preparatory School was ranked No. 1 in all of Pierce County for reading. The school, which enrolls students in sixth through 12th-grade, received a 2011 Washington Achievement Award for closing the achievement gap.