On Fri, 27 Sep 1996, ronsimpson wrote:
I hate to burst any bubbles but, the school with the highest number of National Merit Finalists and highest number of 1600 SATs is a Public High School (Jefferson High in Fairfax, VA)
As a former Fairfax resident I can tell you that the reason the school preforms so well is because of the immense income from local property taxes, and because the Fairfax school system has taken great pains to maintain autonomy and freedom from the public school system at large. They have managed, quite effectively, to create a private school that receives public funds and keeps out interlopers. They have my admiration for this task. I can also point out that everyone in the Greater D.C. area is trying to get their kids into the various Fairfax schools. Some resort to lying to the DMV about their address to do so. It is a measure of the clout of the Fairfax school system that a few complaints have triggered a crackdown on district monitoring which (surprise surprise) is concentrated in Fairfax. -- I hate lightning - finger for public key - Vote Monarchist unicorn@schloss.li