JC deserves its college prep title. It develops its students for success in college and beyond with more skill than any other school in the county.
While Fallston, Bel Air, and C. Milton Wright High Schools have higher SAT scores in some sections, they have only slightly more than a half of their students going to four-year colleges, with some even under 50 percent, according to mdreportcard.com. Eighty percent of JC seniors attend a four-year college, with 99 percent attending some form of college.
JC’s SAT scores are higher than Maryland’s average and the national average because of the attention students are forced to pay to their studies. When JC’s highest passing grade is 10 points higher than Harford County’s, students have to work harder. That 10 percent makes all the difference when it comes to the level of motivation students need to pass a class. Motivation won’t just get students into college, but will make them excel.
Public school students aren’t threatened with expulsion if they fail, as it is mandated that they attend school until the age of 16. There is no mandate that students attend private school, meaning JC students must succeed to avoid expulsion.
While for some students, this pressure adds stress and requires hard work to avoid failing, it undeniably prepares them for the challenges they will face in college. Those who already know that failing leads to more than a slap on the wrist realize that the consequences of bad grades are a considerable danger.
A certain pride should be taken in the caliber of academics at JC, as it far outreaches any public school in the area. Of course, above average students at public school may opt to take honors and AP classes, but at JC the lowest level classes are college preparatory. These classes are designed to raise students to the academic level needed to be successful in college and not just string them along in classes that won’t help to further their learning.
JC has also devoted time and money to develop a strong college counseling department. With the introduction of the College Center and the new college counselor position, JC has put a stronger focus on helping students navigate the college application process. Public school students rarely encounter this attention and is an invaluable resource for JC students.
Students at JC are statistically more likely to go to college. However, they are also more prepared for college as a whole as they complete their secondary education. The guidance students receive with regards to college decisions, the threat of academic expulsion, and the improved education students receive all exhibit JC’s status as a college prep school. JC is unmistakably the best school in the area.