Editorial: Rethinking “No. 1” in class ranking

Being “No. 1” has become something of an elusive goal at an increasing number of… Being “No. 1” has become something of an elusive goal at an increasing number of suburban high schools across the United States. Some schools are altering the coveted valedictorian ranking in order to decrease pressure and fierce competition among high-achieving high school students, The New York Times reports.

Schools that support the multi-valedictorian system have found various ways to provide what they see as a more fair and equally distributed rewards system. For example, some deem any student with a 4.0 or higher as a valedictorian. Sure, such a policy takes away some of the honor — and glory — of the title, but schools that adopt this policy could bring benefits to the larger body of students.

High school students must work harder and study harder to be accepted to their preferred schools — especially if those choice schools are top tier. Assuming a school’s valedictorians have no short supply of brains, they inevitably still worked hard to achieve their rank. Yet those in competition could face burnout even if they didn’t receive the top spot or other high rank. By calling all students with straight As valedictorians, it lessens the cutthroat competition.

Schools also wrestle with factoring in weighted grades in determining ranking. Some contest a weighted grade carries an advantage while others say the class’s difficulty provides merit. Yet with multiple valedictorians, there’s potentially less scrutiny over such fine points.

Still, reporting a top rank when applying to college is one of the most tangible benefits — and that shouldn’t be taken away. Rankings should still be calculated but without all the fanfare, feuding and half-hour graduation speeches.