Sampson Early College High School has been named the second highest performing school nationwide for teaching personal finance by the Working in Support of Education (W!SE) nonprofit organization.
According to its website, the organization is a “leading educational nonprofit” in New York City dedicated to improving the lives of young people and at-risk adults through programs that develop financial literacy and readiness for college and the workforce. For the past 14 years, the organization has put out a ranking of the top 100 schools nationwide that participate in their Financial Literacy Certification program.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Sampson Early College High School made it into the top 10 in the organization’s ranking after previously making it into the top five last year. However, the school’s exact placement on this year’s ranking was left unannounced until the W!se Awards Ceremony held this past week in New York City. At the ceremony, educators and their schools were acknowledged and awarded for their dedication and hard work. That night, Sampson Early College High School was announced as the second highest performing school out of 100 schools in the program and was the highest performing school in the organization’s small high school category.
“This is an incredible accomplishment and truly reflects the time, care, and commitment your educators put into teaching financial literacy,” said the school’s principal, Monty Strickland in a press release earlier this year. “Ranking in the top 10 means your students are not only engaging with the material, but building real skills and confidence that will serve them well beyond the classroom.”
Strickland’s sentiments echoed those of the Sampson County School’s superintended Dr. Jamie King, who expressed great pride in the school’s achievement.
“This is an awesome achievement for the school,” said King. “It’s always amazing any time our students get the opportunity to shine on a national stage. It’s nice to see them rise to that level.”
According to the organization’s website, over the course of the Financial Literacy program, W!SE provides instructional materials to schools throughout 49 different states. Teachers then administer the materials and teach students about finance all to prepare them for the final test. At the end of the course, the teacher then administers the W!SE Financial Literacy Certification Test. Once the test is completed, the student becomes “Certified Financially Literate.” The organization then makes their top 100 list based on the average scores from each school in that year “with consideration given to the number of test takers and the socio-economic background of the students at each school.”
To find out more about the organization or to see the ranking list, visit www.wise-ny.org for more information.