Grade A: U City High School Is Now an A+ School

A+ represents the highest mark of academic achievement.

It is also the elite designation that University City High School now holds as a Missouri State Board of Education A+ high school.

As such, UCHS proudly joins 401 other Missouri public schools that, as part of the program, benefit from partnerships with colleges, students, teachers, parents, labor, businesses and communities interested in preparing more students for higher education or employment.

Chrissy Paterson’s daughter is just a junior, but Paterson is excited to learn about the new opportunity for Molly and other students.

“I think it’s great,” she said. “We plan to look into all that stuff. It is like a full-time job for a parent looking for scholarships, so we’ll definitely consider all our options.”

The A+ Schools Program was founded in 1993 to improve Missouri’s high schools. The two-tiered program motivates students to tutor, mentor others and focus on the future. Tutoring at District schools is the program’s focus this year. The mentoring aspect of the program will be available in the future.

To earn the designation, the Board president, superintendent and high school principal signed official documentation to verify the District’s commitment to providing rigorous coursework, administer a comprehensive guidance plan and work towards the goal of all students graduating from high school with the skills necessary to succeed as they pursue a postsecondary college degree, technical school education or high-wage job.

According to Linda Pritchard, student volunteer and A+ coordinator for UCHS, the state-funded program’s ultimate goal is to create an innovative and well-designed path from high school to high skill, high wage jobs.

Pritchard, who was instrumental in the establishment of the UCHS model, considers the A+ program a pipeline to a better future.

“Students who meet program requirements are eligible to receive funding to attend public community college, career-technical school and even some four-year colleges following graduation,” Pritchard said.

“It makes great financial sense,” she said. “For example, if a student signs up and meets the criteria, he or she qualifies for two-free years of college through an approved Missouri college and that additional college money appeals to both parents and students. We hope this is an incentive to get our students more focused on scholarships.”

Pritchard is pleased with the response so far.

Although it only officially launched at UCHS in January, about 60 students have already indicated an interest in the program.

“Once seniors started doing college applications, and they saw that A+ question, they were excited to know that U. City is an A+ designated school … because they knew that was going to mean extra for them in terms of college dollars,” Pritchard said.

UCHS students who are interested in participating in the A+ program should contact Linda Pritchard at 314-290-4100 ext. 2102 or visit www.ucityschools.org to learn how to get started. 

How do students get started in the A+ Schools Program?

• Sign the A+ Schools Participation Agreement.
• Attend an A+ designated school for three consecutive years immediately prior to graduation. (See the A+ Schools Student Manual for more information.)
• Graduate with a minimum 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
• Maintain a 95 percent attendance record.
• Perform 50 hours of unpaid one-on-one tutoring or mentoring on District property.
• Maintain a record of good citizenship.
• Make a documented good-faith effort to secure all available federal post-secondary student financial assistance funds that do not require repayment, e.g., the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
• Register with Selective Service, if required by law to do so.