For the last four years the U.S. News and World Report has been publishing a list of America’s Best High Schools. For the third year in a row Avalon High School has made the list and has earned national recognition.

Twenty-two thousand schools across forty-nine states were evaluated and Avalon ISD has made the list again. This is pretty amazing when you realize that Avalon ISD is thirty three from the bottom of state funding. It just says a lot about the potential and achievements of small rural schools, It shows what they are capable of achieving.

When asked, ‘How do you do it?’, Dr. DelBosque (superintendent) replied, “It is how WE do it, not how I do it. I am a big proponent of the ‘Systems Theory’. The systems theory is interaction between members in the whole school. All of the departments in the high school work with each other and know what each class is studying and how they can tie in with what the science class is doing, what the math class is doing and so on. We combine our efforts. We constantly evaluate how efficient we are working as a system. Every afternoon we have tutorials for every grade. The kids now believe they can do it. We have moved to the point where the students no longer have the fear of failure or the fear of success. It takes everyone in the school to make this work from the custodian to the staff, principals, superintendent, school board members, teachers, aids, parents and the community. The kids no longer hope to do well, they expect to do well, they just know they can and they do it.”

Congratulations Avalon ISD—job well done!