A recent Globe article discussed the issue of high school student rankings and noted that some schools on the south shore have dispensed with them entirely. Dedham will stop giving rankings next year and will be joining Canton, Hingham, Cohasset, and Westwood as districts that view rankings as having no advantages. Paula Giroud McCann, Principal of Hingham High is quoted, “We found it did not help the kids, and sometimes hurt them.” And what about Milton?

Ken Aubert, the Director of Guidance at Milton High, is clear. In the article he stated, “You can be number 20 at Milton High School. But it doesn’t mean you can compare yourself to number 20 at, say, Springfield High School. It’s a worthless number when you leave the building.’’ Aubert is opposed to rankings but is no longer pushing to eliminate them after an unsuccessful attempt while in Foxborough.

According to the Globe article college admissions departments do not consider rank terribly important. “. . .  a recent study by the National Association for College Admission Counseling found that only 23 percent of colleges it polled said class rank was of “considerable importance’’ in their decisions. . . ”

You can find the Globe article here.