Ridgeland, Mississippi 39157

                                                                                             School Profile

Telephone (601)  898-5023                                                                                                                              CEEB School Code  252591

Fax Number (601)  853-8656                                                                                                                           Website: www.rhstitans.com

                                                                                         Sharon Summers , Principal

Assistant Principals:                                                                                                                                         School Counselors:

Mr. Teague Bruchfield                                                                                                                                              Donna Cutrer, 9^th  

Mr. Tim Dowdy                                                                                                                                                        Becky Fields, 10-12      

Community:                                                                                                               

Ridgeland High School was opened in August 2002 by Madison County School District, one of the fastest growing and top-rated school districts in the State of Mississippi.   Our school is located and serves students from within the city limits of Ridgeland, a suburb north of metropolitan Jackson.   The area’s convenient location, strong public school system, and easy access to Jackson have made Ridgeland one of the more rapidly developing areas within the metropolitan area.  

Accreditation/School Control:

Ridgeland High School is accredited by the Mississippi State Department of Education and is a part of Madison County School District.  Ridgeland High School has earned the designation of “STAR School” for both the 2009-2010 & 2010-2011 school year.   “STAR School” is the highest attainable academic ranking a school can receive in the State of Mississippi.  

Description of School: 

Ridgeland High School is a public, four-year, comprehensive high school with a strong college-preparatory program.  There are approximately 890 students enrolled in grades 9-12 for the 2010-2011 school year as follows:  9^th grade – 251 students; 10^th grade – 262 students;  11^th grade – 179 students;  and 12^th grade – 192 students. 

Grading System:

All Ridgeland High School grades are recorded on the transcript as numerical grades.  The letter grade equivalents are as follows:  A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 65-69; F = Below 64.   The transcript of a high school students’ work will show both semester and final grades in each course.  Transfer students’ transcripts are recorded exactly as received from their previous school.

Time Frame:

Ridgeland High School operates on an 8-period, alternating day, block-scheduling format.  There are 4 block periods per day, which are 90 minutes in length.  The school year is divided into 2 semesters, with each containing two 9-week terms. 

Units Required for Graduation:

Each student graduating from Ridgeland in 2010 must have earned a passing grade on the state-mandated Algebra I, Biology I, English II, and United States History Subject Area Tests.  Additionally they must have earned a minimum of 24 Carnegie units distributed as follows:  Four (4) units in English; Four (4) units in Math to specifically include Algebra I and Geometry;  Three (3) units in Science, one of which must be Biology I;  Four (4) units in Social Studies to specifically include United States History, World History, Mississippi Studies, United States Government, Economics, and World Geography;  One (1) unit of Fine Arts; One (1) unit of Keyboarding/Computer Application; One-half  (1/2) unit of Health,  and Six and one-half (6 1/2) units of elective courses.

Accelerated /Advanced Placement Classes:

Ridgeland offers both Accelerated and College Board Advanced Placement Courses.  These courses, designated as “Acc” and “AP” are written in front of the respective subject on the student’s transcript.  The College Board’s Advanced Placement Courses offered for the 2009-10 school year include AP Biology, AP Calculus,  AP English Language & Composition, AP English Literature & Composition, AP United States Government & Politics, and AP United States History.  The end-of-year Advanced Placement Exams are optional, but are offered in all courses. 

Grade Averaging and Ranking:  Class rank and grade point averages are updated on a semester basis and include all graded courses from 9^th through 12^th grades.  Prior to the 2008-09 year, the actual (un-weighted) numerical grade earned by the student was recorded on the transcript.  Weighting of the Accelerated/AP classes was used only for the purpose of determining rank in class and honor graduates.   Effective with the 2008-09 school year, the weighted grades will be recorded on the transcript as well as being used for determining class rank and honor graduates.   A student’s “weighted” average is determined by multiplying their numerical grade using the following scales:

                                           1.10 x  Grade -  College Board Advanced Placement Courses

                                           1.05 x  Grade -  Advanced Courses  (as specified below)

                               Actual Grade  -  All remaining courses

All College Board’s Advanced Placement Courses are weighted at 1.10 (see list above).  Advanced Courses to be weighted at 1.05 are as follows:   English  - Accelerated English I, II , III, IV;  Science -  Genetics, Chemistry II, Physics;   Mathematics – Advanced Algebra, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, and Probability & Statistics;  Foreign Language – French III, Latin III, Spanish III;  and Computer Science – Advanced Programming,

Advanced Placement Testing:  Twenty seven (27) Ridgeland High School students took the AP Exams in the subjects of Calculus AB, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, US Government and Politics, and United States History.  A total of thirty (31) test grades were reported with sixty-eight (68%) of these students earning a score of 3 or higher composite.

Dual Enrollment:   Ridgeland High School has an articulation agreement with Holmes Community College for senior students to participate in a ”school day”  Dual Enrollment program.   This agreement allows our seniors to spend part of their school day on the RHS campus taking high school courses, and the other part on the day on the Holmes CC campus taking college courses.   To participate in this program, students must have a minimum of 20 credits entering their senior year and have an ACT composite of 20.   There are 24 seniors participating in our Dual Enrollment program this year.  

Post Graduation Statistics:  The Ridgeland High School Class of 2009 graduated 169 students of which fifty eight percent (58%) are enrolled in four-year colleges; thirty three percent  (33%) are attending two-year colleges; and the remaining seven  (9%) are in the military, vocational programs,  or in full-time employment.   Ninety three percent (93%) of the college-bound graduates are attending in-state colleges while seven percent (7%) are attending college out-of state.

Colleges Attended:  The four- year colleges/universities our 2009 graduates are attending this Fall:   Alabama State University, Alcorn State University, Broward College, Columbia University, Delta State University, Howard University, Grambling State University, Jackson State University, Louisiana State University, Millsaps College, Mississippi College, Mississippi State University, Mississippi University for Women, Tougaloo College, Triune University, Washington University in St. Louis, Williams Carey College, University of Alabama at Birmingham,  University of Mississippi, University of South Alabama, and the University of Southern Mississippi.    

Scholarships:  Forty two percent (42%) of the 2009 graduating class at Ridgeland High School received merit-based, college scholarships.

Standardized Test Results:  .

                        Composite          Verbal         Math            Writing        Verbal/CR       Math          Writing

* The SAT I Test has been traditionally taken by less than 10% of the students in our graduating classes .  The ACT Assessment is the predominant test for most of the colleges and universities our graduates attend and was taken by 95 % of the students in the RHS Class of 2009.  

National Merit:   Ridgeland High School has had a total of 13 National Merit Finalists  (from 18 named Semi-Finalists) and 4 National Achievement Finalists (from 4 named Semi-Finalists) dating from August, 2002 through May, 2009.  

Ridgeland High School has 2 National Merit Semi-Finalists and 1 National Achievement Semi-Finalists for the 2009-2010 school year.