Quilcene High School has been named a 2016 Silver School of Opportunity by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC). Quilcene was one of 20 high schools nationwide to be recognized by the NEPC, based at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

QHS, along with 12 other high schools, received the Silver School of Opportunity title (eight schools received the Gold School of Opportunity distinction) and was the only Washington state school to be named a School of Opportunity.

The NEPC sponsors the annual Schools of Opportunity project to identify and recognize excellent public high schools that actively strive to close opportunity gaps – the differences in opportunities and resources that drive achievement gaps.

“The project offers an alternative way of assessing school quality – one that rejects the idea that test scores identify the nation’s best schools,” Carol Burris, project co-director, said in a press release. “Schools of Opportunity use research-based practices to support all students and their teachers, thereby creating engaged and successful learning environments.”

To learn more about Quilcene High School's project, go to opportunitygap.org/quilcene-school.html.

The call for nominations for the 2017 Schools of Opportunity recognitions launches in November, and evaluations take place in the spring. Nomination material is to be available at opportunitygap.org.

The NEPC produces and disseminates high-quality, peer-reviewed research to inform education policy discussions. For more information, visit nepc.colorado.edu.