TAMPA, Fla. — For the first time ever, U.S. News and World Report released a rankings list for the public schools in metropolitan areas across the U.S.
Tampa Bay made the cut, and Plant High was ranked as the number one public high school in the area. The ranking was based on a variety of criteria including college preparedness, passing IB and AP tests and math and reading proficiency. Plant High School principal Johnny Bush, says it’s about much more than that.
"One of the big things here at Plant, and I brag about it all the time, is that our parent involvement is second to none in the nation. I’ve never seen anything like it. In thirty plus years of education," Plant principal Johnny Bush said.
Parents are not only involved in their students’ lives, but they also raise a lot of money. The Plant High School Academic Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)3 organization completely run by parents.
“We have a huge academic foundation. They put out about, close to $50,000 that they raise to give to our teachers," Bush said.
PHS Academic Foundation is not the only parent fundraising group.
“I would challenge you to find any other school in America that has a PTSA that is as involved as Plant. We have an academic foundation, we have an athletic foundation. And these parents, they are all parent-run, they are very very strong. They raise a lot of money for our kids to do extra things," Bush said.
Parental involvement is tied not only to wanting to see their kids do well but in some cases, continuing to give back to a school where they went. Three out of four students had parents that had gone to high school. One was a third generation Plant High School student.
According to Bush, the parent time and monetary commitment makes all the difference.
“I would say without our parents, Plant is not, Plant is nowhere near as successful as we are.”
Here is the list of the top 10 public high schools in the Tampa Bay area according to U.S. News and World Report:
1. Plant High
2. Steinbrenner High
3. Newsome High
4. Sickles High
5. Land O'Lakes High
6. Brooks Debartolo Collegiate High
7. Robinson High
8. East Lake High
9. Tampa Bay Tech High
10. St. Petersburg High
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