About Ridgeland High School

Established 2002

Donna Cutrer, 9^th  

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 the past two school years.   “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 currently 878 students enrolled in grades 9-12 for the 2011-2012 school year as follows:  9^th grade – 233 students; 10^th grade – 249 students; 11^th grade – 222 students; and 12^th grade – 174 students. 

Grading System:

All Ridgeland High School grades are recorded on the transcript as numerical grades.  The letter grade equivalents are as follows: (August, 2010 to present):  A= 90-100;  B= 80-89;  C= 70-79;  D= 65-69; and F= 0-64; and (prior to August, 2010)     A = 94-100; B = 85-93; C = 75-84; D = 70-74; F = 0-69.   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 2012 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;  Four (4) units in Science, one of which must be Biology I and one from either Physical Science, Chemistry or Physics;  Four (4) units in Social Studies to specifically include United States History, World History, Mississippi Studies, United States Government, Economics, and World Geography;  One-half (1/2) unit of Health;  One-half (1/2) unit of PE:

(1) unit of Fine Arts; One (1) unit of Keyboarding/Computer Application;  and Five (5) 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 2011-12 school year include 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 courses for which Carnegie units are earned from 8^th through 12^th grades.  For courses that receive additional “weight”, the weighted grades are recorded on the transcript and these grades are used in the calculation of grade point average, class rank, and the determination of 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 six (26) Ridgeland High School students took the 2011 AP Exams in the subjects of Calculus AB, Calculus BC, English Language & Composition, English Literature & Composition, US Government and Politics, and United States History.  A total of thirty five (35) exam grades were reported with fifty two (52%) 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 17 seniors participating in our Dual Enrollment program this year.  

Post Graduation Statistics:  The Ridgeland High School Class of 2011 graduated 171 students of which fifty two percent (52%) are enrolled in four-year colleges; forty four percent  (44%) are attending two-year colleges; and the remaining four  (4%) 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 2011 graduates are attending this Fall:   Alcorn State  University, Belhaven University, Clark Atlanta University, Delta State University, Howard University, Jackson State University, Louisiana State University, Millsaps College, Mississippi College, Mississippi State University, Mississippi University for Women, Spelman College, Tulane University, Xavier University of Louisiana and the University of Alabama, University of Alabama  at Birmingham,  University of Louisiana at Monroe, University of Mississippi, University of Pittsburg, and  the University of Southern Mississippi.    

Scholarships:  Forty three percent (43%) of the 2011 graduating class at Ridgeland High School received merit-based, college scholarships.

Standardized Test Results:  .

  YEAR             ACT MEAN                   PSAT/NMSQT MEAN                                        *SAT I MEAN            

                        Composite        Verbal /CR          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 98.2 % of the students in the RHS Class of 2011.  

National Merit:   Ridgeland High School has had a total of 16 National Merit Finalists  (from 21 named Semi-Finalists) and 7 National Achievement Finalists (from 7 named Semi-Finalists) dating from August, 2002 through May, 2011.  

Ridgeland High School has 1 National Merit Semi-Finalist for the 2011-2012 school year.