ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Md. — After months of debate, Anne Arundel County Public Schools will once again calculate class rank — but things will look a little different this time.
Anne Arundel County School Board votes to bring back class rankings, 7 years after removal
The Board of Education voted 7-1 to reinstate class rankings, which were eliminated in 2019 to protect students' mental health and avoid unhealthy competition.
Student School Board Member and Glen Burnie High School senior Brayden Morgan said he spoke with hundreds of students about bringing class ranking back.
"They just want to know. They want to know where they stand, and they want to be able to use it for scholarships, for internships, for college applications," Morgan said.
Under the new policy, class rank will not affect whether a student is eligible for Latin honors or to become valedictorian or salutatorian.
Students or parents must request the ranking, and only after the student's sophomore year.
Morgan said the new structure was designed with student well-being in mind.
"So a student doesn't look at their class rank in their freshman or sophomore year and say, 'Okay, now that's what I want it to be about,'" Morgan said.
"And the ability for a parent to know if they requested it for that mental health aspect."
School Board Member Dana Schallheim cast the lone dissenting vote, saying she could not find a program that penalizes students for not providing a school rank on college applications.
"More than 50% of the school systems in this country do not calculate class rank, and that also includes our neighbors, Montgomery and Howard Counties. I think it's dreadful to add this to a student's plate in terms of their mental health," Schallheim said.
Other board members said they have heard from parents and students who say some schools do ask for a ranking.
"As long as there is one university or one merit scholarship application that asks for the information, we owe our students and our parents to use the tools in their toolbox," School Board Vice President Dawn Pulliam said.
Board members asked for a chance to follow up in the future on how many requests are made to gauge how many students actually use the new system.
The Office of Academics is still working out the timeline for implementation. The change is not expected to impact current seniors, including Morgan, whose last day of school is Friday, May 22.
"But I hope next school year, beginning of that school year, students can have access to this. It's for the students," Morgan said. "I'm excited, it's a weight off the shoulders, I know when I go to Instagram to tell the students, they're going to be excited."
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