Whitehall shines bright on ACT test

Four years ago, the Whitehall High School junior class ranked 99th in the state for ACT composite test scores. The results of testing completed in 2017 show Whitehall has witnessed astonishing growth -- with their scores now ranking sixth out of 197 schools in the state.

“It is excellent to see Whitehall High School is among the best high schools in the state,” said Principal Hannah Nieskens. “Students and teachers have much to be proud of. We just keep getting better scores every year.”

The results are from tests taken last school year by the WHS Class of 2018.

The students had a composite score of 22.4, which is second among the 37 Class B Schools in Montana. Whitehall was the top Class B school and top school in the entire state in the Science subtest with an average score of 22.8. Whitehall was third among Class B Schools in math with a score of 21.5, second in English with a average of 20.4, and second in Reading with an average score of 24.2.

“Class B schools are of similar enrollment size and generally provide a similar set of opportunities to students. Every size of district has its advantages and disadvantages, however similarly sized schools have a closer match regarding teacher quantity, enrollment, and funding, so the comparison is worthwhile to examine,” Nieskens said.

Currently, the ACT is the sole assessment for federal accountability purposes for Montana high schools, and according to Nieskens, since 2013 every high school junior in Montana, college bound or not, has taken the test.

Whitehall High School recently released an honor roll with over 100 of around 140 students getting a 3.0 or higher.

Nieskens said along with the honor roll, the ACT scores are showing that WHS students are high achieving.

“In other words, we are not just handing out A’s without the tough work to go with it,” she said.

Nieskens added there was only 1 school in the entire state that beat the Whitehall scores on every subtest, Moore High School (9 students).