Gilbert High School Ranks 3rd in State and 28th Nationally
According to a US News and World Report article this year, Gilbert Classical Academy ranks 28th nationally among high schools. Gilbert Classical Academy is a public Junior High and High School in the Gilbert School District. Very much different that its larger public counter parts, the 2013 graduating class totaled 37 seniors. The school first opened in 2007. The enrollment is done by means of a lottery and there is always a waiting list. The curriculum is made up mostly of AP and Honors classes. The reason this headline caught my attention is my youngest son just finished his freshman year at GCA where he also participated in swimming and basketball. Therefore, I thought I could add some additional insight to this article.
How Gilbert Classical Academy is different
An obvious difference is the size of GCA. My other sons attended Gilbert public high schools where the freshman – senior total enrollment approaches 3,000 students. GCA is on the other end of that scale. The graduating class of 2013 was 37 students. Upon reviewing my son’s yearbook it appears that number will increase to the 50 – 55 in the upcoming years.
Any student will quickly let you know that the curriculum rises to another level. It can be summed up with the following, directly from GCA’s website: “Gilbert Classical Academy is an honors level school utilizing one-to one integrated technology incorporated with a challenging curriculum to prepare students for post-secondary education at a university. All students are required to take AP level courses for their upper class core subject areas.” Teachers use the Socratic method of teaching, everyone studies music, has a laptop, uniforms are mandatory and 7th & 8th graders study Latin. Prior to graduation, each student completes 75 hours of community service
Why GCA may not be a good fit for a student
GCA has been adding team sports programs year by year, sharing district facilities when necessary. If a student’s focus is sports, GCA might not be the best fit. GCA does have men’s and women’s basketball, soccer, track, swimming, and golf teams. They do not have a football team.
GCA requires two years of a foreign language. Currently, Spanish is the only available foreign language.
There is no school provided transportation, so parents get creative at organizing car pools.
GCA is an academic marathon. Discipline is something that will become a part of each student’s daily routine. Students can survive in the short term but they must be willing to concentrate and be dedicated to a higher academic bar. Rankings can be disputed and their accuracy can argued, but this report does provide an opportunity for GCA to receive some well deserved recognition for Gilbert Classical Academy.
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