Around New England

High Schools Getting Rid of Class Rankings – Kids Can’t Stand the Stress

March 8, 2019

Three high schools south of Boston have gotten rid of class rankings in an effort to take stress of their students, and another is about to go that route.

Milton, Hingham, and Duxbury have all stopped ranking students except for the top two, and Marshfield plans to do the same, according to the Patriot Ledger.

In Weymouth, a senior currently ranked number one in his class is making ditching class rankings his senior project, citing “the mental health aspect:  the pressure, the stress, the academic shame,” according to the Patriot Ledger.

In Braintree, the director of guidance, Anthony Garofalo, said the high school there will keep traditional rankings, saying it’s a motivation for some kids. “Every student has a right to know exactly where they stand,” he said, according to the Patriot Ledger.