Lately, the concept of class rank and naming a valedictorian of graduating high school classes is becoming less prevalent, especially in large communities with big public schools.
Currently, Pleasant Valley and Geneseo High Schools are the only schools that have completely abolished class rank in the greater Quad City area, but it is a growing topic of conversation in many neighboring school districts. Specifically, United Township High School in Rock Island is considering throwing out class rankings for the same reasons the Spartans rid of it years ago.
The extreme rivalry amongst classmates, unnecessary stress on students to perform well, the unimportance of class rank to college application, and its misleading nature of students’ actual successes are to name a few of the plentiful motives behind this action.
Principal Darren Erickson notes how ineffectual and deceiving statistics of class rank can be, especially in high performing areas. “For our school district, it just doesn’t make sense to release class rank,” he said. “Many of our students have outstanding grades, but wouldn’t place as high as they would expect because of the competition, which is the main reason we believe it shouldn’t be another factor that students worry about.”
Many not only believe it is a poor reflection of work ethic and a marginalization of grades, but the idea of class rank can also provide another source of unecessary stress in teenager’s lives. Senior, Aabha Joshi, is glad that her school has eliminated class ranks for this reason. “I think it’s good that our school doesn’t release class rank. It would create a lot more competitiveness than there already is, which we don’t need,” she said.
It has also been noted that the magnitude of class rank pertaining to acceptance to colleges, even top universities has decreased significantly. Nowadays, the importance of extracurriculars, rigor of classes and community service has drastically gone up in college admission rates, while the matter of who is valedictorian has decreased.
Joshi has noticed this trend as she begins her college application process. “Some colleges do request it, but I’m not sure it affects my admission chances as much as other aspects,” she said.
Erickson explains how class rank can be released in certain circumstances, but the exact number is never used. “When a student absolutely needs their class rank statistic, we can release the percentage of their placing in comparison to the state,” he said. “We would never use the class rank number because it is a poor reflection of student performance.”
While schools in the area, such as Bettendorf and Davenport High Schools, still use class rank to name a valedictorian and salutatorian, the future of these titles may be bleak. As society progresses and focuses more on the aspects that make each person different, class rank’s nature of confining students down to a number is becoming obsolete.
