The average public high school class is over 500 students. Imagine having a higher GPA than all 500, and yet, you receive no recognition. This is an unfortunate reality for students every year who dedicate copious amounts of time and effort into their coursework and receive a high GPA as a result. The class rank system ranks all of the students in a high school class based on their GPA; this system used to be widely customary, but it has been put out of commission by all FCPS schools. With ramifications, this system should be reinstated in all FCPS schools.

Having a high class rank is incredibly useful from a college admissions standpoint and adds motivation to work hard in school. According to US news, 71%  of colleges consider class rank an important part of the college admissions process; having a high class rank can significantly increase your college admission chances. Moreover, having no system of recognition for stellar students can lead to decreased motivation to perform.

“I think, honestly, having that sort of system would definitely make me want to work harder, almost like a game, because I’m also a competitive person,”  Akhil Mehra (’26) said.

While a class rank system is useful, it is important to note the system often breeds competitiveness. While these effects can be seen as good or bad, it is most important to consider how our students would deal with such an environment. If the system would breed a toxic environment, the installation of it may not be beneficial for our school.  The system would also allow students to take more pride in their academic accomplishments, which can often be lost in the stress of high school.

Should a ranking system create a positive competitiveness that motivates students to work harder, its implementation would be highly beneficial. In addition to helping those already at the top of their class be accepted to top universities, it would motivate those farther down to raise their GPA. 

In essence, the implementation of a class rank system is beneficial to Madison High School in tandem with new guidelines, such as parental and student polling to gather a consensus on the new system –  or making the visibility of the rank optional to students, to ensure a friendly academic environment: with such guidelines, a class rank system could aid in FCPS students’ college admissions and provide motivation for students to work.