“There will be no more Valedictorian or Salutatorian,” announced Terra Linda High School on March, 12th, 2025. The class ranking stamped in school transcripts? The honor of being recognized for the best academic achievement? The hours of hard work and grit put towards grades and classwork? All of that now goes unrecognized. Don’t worry though, the school assured all that highly academic students will still be recognized at graduation and awards night.
Having a 4.0 GPA is an impressive achievement that deserves credit. Get straight A’s, maybe a B along the way, and one Honors or AP. Voila, a solid, weighted 4.0. But if a student decides they want to strive for even more, to take several honors and APs and achieve a weighted GPA above a 4.0, why should that student not be able to see their rank amongst everyone else?
The assumption surrounding valedictorian is that the individual chosen is the smartest, and the salutatorian the second smartest. And yes, being able to keep up in advanced classes does take a certain level of intelligence. But at what point does it shift from IQ to hard work? Being able to keep up in a variety of challenging classes is not talent. It’s determination, meaning the title of valedictorian is more of a recognition of effort than intelligence. The title takes time to achieve, with homework and studying on top of balancing extracurriculars. Having an extraordinary high GPA takes a lot of work, and for that not to be recognized is unacceptable.
Having a low class ranking or GPA may be discouraging, but it can also be motivating. A class ranking can serve as a wake up call, or a source of inspiration. A student could see their lower rank and decide to step it up, taking an AP or two the following year. Another could rank fifth and see that as encouragement to continue taking advanced classes. Class rankings are assuring in that way. They’re a way for students to see where they stand, particularly for upperclassmen. Why should the students who work as hard as they can not have the opportunity to be valedictorian, and with it a higher chance of getting into the school of their choice?
The main reasons for taking away the valedictorian and salutatorian titles are because they cause competition and high stress over grades. Unfortunately, the removal of the titles does not in practice erase the presence of competition and stress. Students strive for academic excellence for one main reason: their future. Doing well in high school can allow students to succeed in college, and eventually, in life. Excelling in high school and becoming valedictorian is a cherry on top. One more fail safe to have that great future. It’s obviously not a guarantee, but take it away completely, and there will definitely be no guarantee.
Yes, competition can be an issue. There is no clear way to eliminate the negatives of competitiveness. However, its positives can’t be ignored either. Competition can inspire and motivate students to work harder. Not to mention, it’s seen everywhere. As mentioned, college applications are the epitome of competition. If high school students aren’t equipped to handle competition amongst their current peers, how are they supposed to do so as college-applying seniors? How are they supposed to handle job or apartment applications? Using this logic, the action of removing the valedictorian and salutatorian title has an underlying message. “You are not ready to be an adult.”
The SRCS district has claimed that colleges don’t “heavily rely on valedictorian status,” opting for a holistic approach towards applications. While that’s wonderful, strong academics are still vital to success during the college process. Being valedictorian could simply be a bow on top of an excellent application.
Being valedictorian or salutatorian reflects a student’s excellence and hard work at their school. If two students from different schools, with the same GPA and similar extracurriculars, apply to the same school, and one is a valedictorian, the one with that title could be a more competitive applicant. And although the schools in our area no longer have valedictorians, the same doesn’t apply for the rest of the world.
It’s important to remember that it’s easier to stand out in a high school than amongst millions of other college applicants. With the “test optional” attitude towards SAT scores now at many colleges following the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s harder than ever to distinguish oneself academically for colleges. With the elimination of class rank, another opportunity has gone down the drain.
Additionally, the argument against class rank contradicts Terra Linda High School’s policy of making AP classes more accessible for all students. Placing students of varying academic levels in the same advanced classes inspires students to work as hard as their peers. Similarly, students of different academic levels could be motivated by their class ranking to aim higher. Some may argue that this is demoralizing, but can’t it also be demoralizing to be placed in an advanced class and not succeed? Can’t it also be demoralizing to see highly academic students do well in those classes in comparison? It’s important to recognize that while not every student’s situation is the same, that doesn’t mean that the majority of students should be stripped of opportunities.
There is no reason for there to be a singular valedictorian. In case of nearly identical GPA’s, have several. There is no issue with that. Another middle-ground could be making class rankings visible, but not on transcripts. Therefore, if a student is unhappy with their rank, they do not have to share said placement with colleges. However, there is also no reason to have no valedictorian at all, or to conceal students’ class rankings. There will always be competition, and stress associated with school. It’s inevitable.
All that’s been taken is motivation.
