RI's #3 School 2012: Exeter-West Greenwich Senior High School

RI's #3 School 2012: Exeter-West Greenwich Senior High School

After a bold move into the Top 3 in 2011, Exeter-West Greenwich Senior High School proves it's no fluke with an A+ performance in 2012 to secure its spot for two years running.

The school of just under 600 students saw substantial improvements on several testing measures, which clearly outweighed a few drops. The biggest bragging rights for the Scarlet Knights: a 9-point jump in the percentage of students testing above proficiency in Reading NECAPs, to 91%. Writing scores also bumped up 4 points, to 73% (Math scores, meanwhile, dropped 13 points, to 54%).  Add to that an investment per student of $16,778, second only to Narragansett High, and the second-best student-teacher ratio (9:1), and you're looking at a winning combination.

Strengths and expansion

Exeter-West Greenwich has traditionally taken great pride in several creative programs, and with good reason. And what could be a better high school source of pride than a great band? EWG's award-winning Senior Band consistently places students in competitions and is known for being a welcoming presence on campus. The EWG Concert Band has played in Washington, DC, at the Naval Museum, and a photo of the band on the steps of the Capitol, signed by RI Senator Jack Reed, hangs in the practice room. On the media side, Knight Vision TV, the result of the school's Multimedia and Video Productions classes, gives students valuable experience producing talk shows, creative pieces, documentaries and news shows.  On the athletic front, EWG has just completed a facilities upgrade: a new track and field facility that allows the school to host meets, which just began this month.

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Part of what allows the district to support expansion at EWG during tight financial times results from a partnership with Merchant Bank's Project Give Back, which funnels funds back to the district from patronizing participating local businesses. "The school committee has been faced with declining revenues from the state and local taxpayers who are financially strapped," according to Thomas J. Geisma, EdD, Superintendent of Schools at EWG Regional School District. "Project Give Back is a unique partnership between … Merchant Card Services and the school district whereby the district can receive much needed revenue. The school committee is committed to allocate funds from Project Give Back to activities such as athletics and the arts that are a vital part of community life."

Exeter-West Greenwich Senior High School at a Glance

Enrollment: 591

Mascot: The Scarlet Knights

Notable Alums: none as of 2012

For a printable version of RI's Top High Schools 2012, with the full chart of rankings and summaries of key articles, Download PDF