F.C.'s George Mason High Excels in Washingtonian Magazine's Rankings

In a new report in the October Washingtonian magazine, Falls Church's George Mason High School was ranked second overall among non-magnet public high schools in Northern Virginia. But compared with the other ranked schools in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs, Mason has the second highest percentage of low-income students, a category widely accepted as the strongest correlative to academic performance.

By contrast, the only school ranked ahead of Mason, Fairfax County's Langley High School, has almost no low-income students. (The other school ranked ahead of Mason, the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, is a magnet school).

Therefore, Mason's high ranking despite the special issues presented by a high percentage of low-income students underscores its overall excellence in the assessment of educators and parents, alike.

The Washingtonian report confirmed the effect that student income has on school performance. It emphasized,“The almost direct correlation between income and achievement or, more precisely, between poverty and poor academic performance.”

George Mason High School excels according to that correlation. With a low-income student population of 14%, only Yorktown High School ranked 10th in the area, had a higher low-income population among the ranked schools at 16%. None of the other schools have percentages above 10%.

George Mason Principal Robert Snee commented to the News-Press about the recent report. He said that George Mason has to deal with the reality of its student population. Being the only high school for the City of Falls Church makes the school “both the best and the worst school in the City,” he quipped.

He said that in areas supported by multiple schools, populations tend to divide up according to where they end up going to school, drawing from “opposite sides of the tracks.” For example, he explained, at Langley High School the low-income population is only 6% but neighboring McLean less than a mile away has a low-income population of 12%.

To teach a population with a diverse range of abilities, Snee said that the key to success has always been the personal attention given to students. “The School Board has always supported small class size in the schools,” said Snee. At George Mason the total population is 611 and the maximum size for any class is 25 students.

Snee also noted that in areas where there are specific concerns about core subjects like biology, the school has added classes to reinforce basic skills and concepts for students having difficulty. “Students who need it can end up getting a double dose,” said Snee. He said this has led to greatly improved outcomes for many students.

Another result of the focused individual attention is a safe school environment. According to the results in the Washingtonian, during the 2002-2003 school year there were only three fights and one weapon violation at Mason. Only the Jefferson magnet school had fewer altercations.

The secure atmosphere is a product of intense work, said Snee. From the beginning of a student’s tenure at Mason they have been given one word to guide them through high school; respect.

Snee said that in his first presentation to incoming freshmen he expounds this concept and insists that students respect themselves, respect others, and respect the common property of the school. By the time they reach their senior year, students can recite the sermon practically from memory, he said.

Along with the positive test scores, a safe and attentive learning environment is what has made George Mason so respected. But Snee noted, while good rankings are flattering, it’s hard to calculate their correlation to actual school performance.

For the Washingtonian article, the ranking were calculated through the combination of achievement tests, SAT scores, Advanced Placement tests, graduation rates, the percentage of graduates attending college, teacher qualifications and overall school safety.

But while the statistics attempt to cover many areas, they don’t encapsulate all the challenges and successes of a school.

For a school like George Mason which draws students from an educated populace, it isn’t surprising that 89% of the students go on to a four year college. But in areas where the culture of college is less prevalent schools have to work very hard to simply get 50% of their seniors to attend four year institutions.

At J.E.B Stuart High School in Fairfax County 47% of the student population is low-income. After intense work by the school administration to change lesson plans and schedules, the school was named one of 12 national break-out schools in the U.S. for its performance in the face of overwhelming demographic challenges. For Stuart, the fact that over 50% of their students attend a four year college is a remarkable achievement. While rankings like the ones in the Washingtonian can be a strong motivator for schools to improve, it can also be a double edged sword.

Last year George Mason was ranked sixth in the U.S. on the Washington Post challenge index, computed by the amount of students taking International Baccalaureate classes. The previous year it was ranked first in the country. But the performance of the school hasn’t changed, Snee pointed out.

“The obsession with rankings is largely outside the school building,” said Snee. In the school, Snee said teachers are more worried about how each individual student is doing. “If we fall from six to 60 and we still have the same success, then we should be perfectly content and should continue working in the directions that we have so far,” he said.

Along with the academic success, George Mason was also recognized by the magazine as one of the top sports schools in Northern Virginia. The ranking highlighted Mason’s nine Class A state titles over the past decade and the performance of the tennis and soccer teams which have won three and five titles respectively in the last 10 years.