For the fourth consecutive year, Boothbay Region High School has earned a silver medal in the U.S. News and World Report, Best High School Rankings. Of the 88 Maine schools named April 30, BRHS ranks tenth in the top ten best schools in Maine: 1. Maine School of Science and Mathematics, 2. Cape Elizabeth High School, 3. Yarmouth High School, 4. Falmouth High School, 5. Greely High School, 6. Wells High School, 7. Camden Hills Regional High School, 8. Scarborough High School, 9. Orono High School, and 10. BRHS.

Superintendent of Schools Keith Laser attributed the school’s ranking to the dedicated, top notch teachers and staff and a community which clearly values a good public education.

“It is affirming to know that an independent organization, using a broad set of criteria, ranked Boothbay Region High School in the top ten of public high schools in Maine,” Laser commented via email. “Great things happen daily in our schools and it is encouraging to see our dedication to excellence acknowledged.”

Principal Dan Welch said the criteria revolve around state testing scores, graduation rates, student to teacher ratios, and advanced placement scores and participation.

“As always I am incredibly proud of our students and faculty. Our teachers and support staff work so incredibly hard to provide quality educational experiences,” said Welch, also responding in an email. “We are so fortunate to have such supportive communities and families, our students continue to be a source of pride for us all!”

The news came on the eve of Decision Day, when many seniors reveal where they will be spending their first semester of college or which branch of military or other public services they will be enlisting in. Among the choices revealed were institutions close to home like the United States Coast Guard, University of Maine in Orono, Maine Maritime Academy, Husson University, and Southern, Central and Eastern Maine Community Colleges; and more distant ones like George Washington University, Yale University, Johnson and Wales University, UMASS Amherst, Lasell College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Wentworth Institute of Technology.

A college admissions panel April 30 drew representatives from six Maine unversities and colleges to speak about differences between private and public institutions, Maine’s Ivy League schools, and community colleges. The next events for students will be the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC) College Fair in Augusta on Thursday, May 23 and the annual UMO trip on Monday, June 3.