Class rankings have been a part of high school for years, but in the recent years, schools have begun to phase them out. Local schools, like Mason and Saint Xavier, have gotten rid of class rankings in an effort to reduce stress on students. While these schools still recognize academic achievements, there is no ranking system, and no valedictorian or salutatorian. This has been met with backlash from students and parents who believe that a ranking system is important in order to motivate kids and prepare them for college.

  Personally, I believe that the ranking system should stay. Students at Lakota West work extremely hard in order to be the valedictorian, salutatorian, or be in the top 25, and it does not seem logical to completely get rid of that. The work ethic wouldn’t change if rankings were eliminated, but students who work hard to get recognized for their achievements would lose that title, and essentially work hard for no credit during their high school years. Any ranking past 25 is only acknowledged during college admission season, and slowly phasing that out wouldn’t have any drastic effects. If schools continue to get rid of class rankings, valedictorians and salutatorians still need to be recognized in some way. While the concept of phasing out the class ranking system is not a bad idea, the way schools have gone about it is not logical, and students need to be recognized for their achievements.