The Signature School in Evansville is eighth on the 2011 best public high schools in the nation list compiled by The Washington Post. The charter school is ranked as the top high school in the Midwest.

Evansville’s Signature School has been ranked by “The Washington Post” as the number one high school in the Midwest, the number three charter school in the nation, and number eight high school in the country. The school will be featured in the May 22 edition of the Post.

Columnist Jay Mathews, who formerly published the Challenge Index in “Newsweek,” gathers data to measure how effectively a school prepares its students for college. By dividing the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other college-level tests a school gave in 2010 by the number of graduating seniors, Mathews seeks to measure the level of challenge for all students in a given high school. According to Mathews, the rating can reveal the level of a high school’s commitment to preparing average students for college. Schools with especially high SAT or ACT scores, indicating an elite student body, are included in a separate Challenge Index.

“Overall, we’re just students who want to learn,” said junior Bailey Trela.

Signature achieved 100 percent Equity and Excellence score in the rating, indicating that 100 percent of all graduating seniors achieved a passing score in AP or IB testing. Signature is also ranked as the number one school in Indiana on Equity and Excellence for AP testing.

Under the Indiana Charter School Law, charter schools are public schools that are established to provide innovative and autonomous programs. The law “allows these public schools freedom and flexibility in exchange for exceptional levels of accountability.” Signature receives 35% less funding than traditional schools.

The President of the Signature School Board of Directors, Mr. Robert L. Koch II said, “I am proud of the staff and the students for achieving this outstanding recognition. I believe it reflects positively on the Evansville community as well as the state of Indiana.” Vicki Snyder, Executive Director of Signature School said the school’s accomplishments over the past several years would not be possible without the support of the parents. “They are an integral part of our program.” She goes on to say that “Signature has also been fortunate for the support given to the school by the Signature’s Board of Directors, the business community, and the Signature School Foundation.”

You can view The Washington Post ranking of Indiana schools by clicking here.

You can view the national rankings by clicking here.

Source: Signature School & InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report  http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=47836