Patriot HS Ranked 15th Best School in Va by US News

Patriot High School courtesy of Prince William County Schools.

Patriot High School in Nokesville was ranked the 15^th Best High School in Virginia according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools Rankings 2017. The public high school has a 75 percent Advanced Placement (AP) participation rate.

Patriot High School Principal Dr. Michael Bishop attributes the school’s success to the hard work and dedication of his staff.

“I am honored to work with the best high school faculty in the nation! It is a team effort; our teachers, administrators, custodial and office staff and our transportation experts – our bus drivers - all play a role in the success of our school.”

Patriot High School, which opened in 2011, is Prince William County’s 11^th high school. According to U.S. News, Patriot has a graduation rate of 97 percent. Its location is considered “fringe rural” although it draws most its population from the out-burbs of Bristow and Gainesville.

Its population is 56 percent white, 15 percent Hispanic, 12 percent black, 10 percent Asian and 6 percent two or more races. It has a free lunch population of only 8 percent and an economically disadvantaged population of 12 percent. The median annual household income for those living along the Linton Hall corridor around $130,000.

Patriot is known for its state of the art building design that includes large storefront windows, a rotunda, spacious cafeterias, open-air courtyard, extra-large auditorium and spacious classrooms.

The greatest known challenge for Patriot High School is probably overcrowding with a number of students in outside “learning cottages.”

According to U.S. News, their comprehensive ranking methodology is based on the principles “that a great high school must serve all of its students well, not just those who are college-bound, and that it must be able to produce measurable academic outcomes to show it is successfully educating its student body across a range of performance indicators.”

One indicator that U.S. News & World Report looks at is test scores. Patriot, in addition to serving the local population, serves as an AP Scholars School for Prince William County.

Patriot High Schools progress.

Since the schools opening, Patriot has increased its AP course offerings, and more than doubled the number of students enrolled in those courses. In 2011, 17 percent of Patriot students were enrolled in either at least one AP or Pre-APP course. This year, 36 percent of Patriot students are taking one or more of those courses. Patriot will administer 1900 AP tests this spring semester, beginning Monday.

Bishop notes that Patriot AP students have very high success rate even within the most challenging of courses.

“In AP Calculus last year we had 99 percent of the students earn a qualifying score. The national average is about 51 percent in that particular course.”

Patriot’s SAT scores for 2016, a 1614 composite average, far exceeded the national average, 1490, that year.

Beyond test scores, Patriot offers professional level culinary program that prepares students for careers in that profession. Many culinary students go on to top culinary schools and universities.

Bishop said his faculty routinely goes above and beyond what is required of them, spending long hours with students to ensure they achieve successful outcomes.

“It is a special group and bringing all of them together under one roof is like watching a group of All Stars!” Bishop said, noting his staff provides the students an opportunity to succeed.

He credits “top notch administrative team” that help the school to operate smoothly and efficiently. Administrators include Emily Utter, Stephane Bretzke, DeLores Lucas, Josh Miller, Chris Southcott, Karen McLean, Katie Swanson, Terri Snoots, Brad Qualls, John Lavely and Michelle Kincaid.

Osbourn Park High School in Manassas, another PWCS, ranked 19^th of Virginia public schools. Osbourn Park offers Biotech specialty program in addition to serving the local population.

Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology was ranked the number one public school in Virginia and the number two STEM school in the nation. Thomas Jefferson is a science and technology school. Acceptance into the school is very competitive but is open to Prince William County students who qualify.

Fairfax County Public Schools dominated the list with all five of Virginia’s best public schools: Thomas Jefferson, McLean, Langley, Oakton and Woodson.

The next five included schools from Fairfax, Loudoun and Arlington counties: Yorktown (Arlington), Stone Bridge (Loundoun), West Springfield (Fairfax), Briar Woods (Loundoun) and Dominion (Sterling).

The highest performing schools in Virginia are all located in high-income areas. The median annual household income for McLean is approximately $190,000.

Schools that offer alternative college level courses such as Cambridge are not considered in the same regards as Advance Placement options, which hurts those schools rankings. Therefore, Stonewall Jackson High School and Brentsville High School may not be accurately represented by their ratings.