Schools

Is Making the High School Honor Roll a Legitimate Achievement?

Students have more resources — and more pressures — than ever, yet studies suggest grade inflation is the true reason for having three-quarters of a school on the honor rolls.

bestowed honor roll or high honor roll to 686 students in the fourth quarter of the most recent school year.

The enrollment is listed as 890 this year on the WIAA website, meaning about three-quarters of the students were on that special list.

Honor rolls are similarly swelled in many suburban communities. had 221 seniors on last fall semester’s honor roll; the entire high school has about 1,500 students. ’s list from the previous fourth quarter rolled on for 17 pages and about 800 names on an enrollment of about 2,000.

Find out what's happening in Wauwatosawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A survey by the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA revealed last year that 45 percent of incoming college freshmen carried an “A” average in high school — yet spent less time on homework than any class in the 25 years of the survey.

Conversely, greater competition for college admission and for jobs also means a greater — and earlier — emphasis on preparation than ever. The advent of 4K — not to mention suburban helicopter parents who drill their children on reading and math before they are walking — are just two factors that suggest more kids are groomed for success.

Find out what's happening in Wauwatosawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

So is the booming high school honor roll a reflection of better information and preparation? Or is it simply the product of a toothless evaluation system where every child is above average? Vote in our poll and participate in the discussion in our comments section.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Wauwatosa