Sierra Lutheran High School releases impressive ACT scores

Since the 2014-2015 school year, all high school juniors in the State of Nevada are required to take the ACT. This requirement comes as the Nevada Department of Education tries to identify the level of college readiness that public high schools are providing.

But at Sierra Lutheran High School, this practice has been around for quite some time. In order to produce academically competitive students, SLHS not only encourages all juniors to take the ACT, they advise students to take it for the first time as sophomores.

SLHS is a “college prep” school, with rigorous academics that prepare students for whatever college or university they choose to attend. As the 2017 ACT scores are released, it appears that the school is accomplishing that goal. On the ACT College English Composition test, 84% of SLHS students scored as “college ready” (compared to the Nevada state average of 38%). In College Algebra, 74% of SLHS students are considered “college ready” (compared to the 21% state average). The average ACT composite score of an SLHS student was 24.9 (the state average is 17.8).

Besides their committed faculty and competitive course offerings, one of the reasons SLHS has found success on the ACT is because of their preparation. SLHS is very intentional about helping students prepare for the ACT and SAT. All freshmen take the ASPIRE test which is an ACT-style test that measures college-readiness.

All sophomores and juniors take the PSAT test to both measure college readiness and help them prepare for the SAT.

“We know that simply by taking the PSAT, students on average score over 145 points higher on standardized tests than those who have not been exposed to the test,” relates SLHS College & Career Advisor Jenny Cochran. “To us, it is a wise investment and one that has paid off for our past graduating classes.”

One of the advantages of being a small school is the individualized attention available to each student. “SLHS has the unique opportunity to offer our students one on one college counseling,” Cochran explains. “We start with each freshman student and their family and follow them through their high school career. The work we do is collaborative.”

Despite the test prep involved, SLHS offers a holistic approach when it comes to decision making. “With exploration and guidance, students learn how to become an active participant in shaping what will be their college path. Both the work we do to prepare the students for standardized tests, and the work we do to tap into each student’s strengths and passions, help enrich their high school experience and increase the student’s chances of getting into the college of their choice.”

Even if most colleges and universities scrutinize the numbers, SLHS’s focus remains not on the scores themselves, but on ensuring that students are ready for the path they choose after graduation. "God gives each student unique gifts and talents,” expresses Dr. Tami Seddon, SLHS Principal. “For us, ‘college prep’ is not just about helping students get into their college of choice. We want to work with students to nurture their gifts and build strong academic foundations so that students are prepared to be successful in whatever college or career path they choose."

The SLHS Class of 2017, at 30 students, had a collective 2.3 million dollars in scholarships with some attending colleges as far away as Wartburg in Wisconsin, and others choosing to stay closer to home at University of Nevada, Reno.

Out of the SLHS Class of 2017, two students are currently in the Honors Program at UNR (compared to only three students from Carson High and three from Douglas High; both schools with graduate numbers in the hundreds). “We are very proud of our students,” shares Dr. Seddon, “but we take even greater pride in the fact that our alumni contact us, explaining that our caring faculty prepared them well – and they are currently successful in college because of their time at SLHS.”