U.S. News Report placed FHC as the number 18 public high school in Missouri. They reviewed 21,035 schools and ranked 152. FHC’s ranking places it higher than both other schools in the Francis Howell School District and also puts it in the top three percent in the state and top five percent in the nation. The school’s principal, Dr. Sonny Arnel, was overjoyed with the news of success.

“As someone who loves Howell Central and thinks we are an incredible school, I think it’s gratifying to find out that we are doing well, that we are serving our kids and our community well,” said Dr. Arnel.

Dr. Arnel received this news at noon on Tuesday, but he has been evaluating the school all year. He looks at a range of categories that tells him if the students are being served well and if adjustments need to be made.

“Being someone that is competitive and wants to do well, I look at our school’s accomplishments like our school’s score board,” said Dr. Arnel. “I look at our ACT results, AP results, EOC results, monthly attendance, discipline, all those things.”

According to U.S. News Report, FHC has a 16:1 student to teacher ratio, 85 percent of its students received proficient on the English End of Course (EOC) exam, 64 percent received proficient on the Algebra, and it has an 18.7 college readiness index based on 60 percent of AP tests passed. Plans are being made to share the news with parents and to talk with leadership. The staff has already received an e-mail reporting the achievement.

“When you get outside reports like this that verify we are doing well, I think we should celebrate,” said Dr. Arnel. “It’s a wonderful recognition of all the work students are doing and the partnership we have with our parents and our teachers.”