Plano ISD abolishes class rank, moves to nurture academic freedom

The class of 2023 and beyond will not be ranked outside of the top 10 percent

Zoe Geils describes her time at Plano West High School as memorable, active and — most of all — competitive. From working a part-time job and participating in her local FFA chapter to taking all honors and AP classes, Geils found herself thriving academically, but not in her class rank. With a graduating class of about 1,300 students, hundredths of a GPA point could vary class rank by upwards of 10–20 places.

“It was definitely difficult to balance grades, especially because the people who had the best grades didn’t have many extra circular activities, and they definitely did not have jobs,” the Class of 2016 graduate said. “I ended up with a 4.0, but with the 5.0 scale, I wasn’t even in the top 10 percent.”

But for Plano Independent School District students now graduating in 2023 and beyond, class ranks are a thing of the past. The school board voted earlier this year to abolish class rankings outside of the state-mandated top 10 ten percent. This move, which was initiated by the school board, was meant to help ease some of the stress that comes along with ranks and to help promote a level of academic freedom for students, Plano ISD Executive Communications Director Lesley Range-Stanton said.

“Students may choose a different path than they are academically interested in for the sake of class rank, and now without class rank being a factor, [students] may want to be a little more open to exploring other areas of interest,” Range-Stanton said. “It all came down to best practices and what would be beneficial for students, and to try and relieve some of the stress and pressure that comes with taking courses with the sole intent to boost class rank.”

Students will now only receive their cumulative GPAs and grades on transcript days, but for students in the top 10 percent of their respective graduating class, class ranks are available by special request.

Plano ISD now joins Frisco, Coppell, Highland Park and Carrollton as school districts in North Texas that do not rank their students outside of the top 10 percent.

Range-Stanton said this policy change wasn’t to necessarily stay on trend with neighboring school districts but was rather a result of data collecting and researching the school district conducted over a period time.

“The board asked the district staff to do a study about class rank, and what the staff did as a result was that they ended up doing extensive surveys of students, parents and staff members and studied what other districts were doing,” Range-Stanton said. “They essentially looked at what other experts recommended.”

Former student Geils, now 21 and attending Texas A&M University, said she wish she didn’t have to worry about class rank when she was a student.

“[The competitive environment] had negative effects on me that I have now taken to college,” Geils said. “Just thinking about other who don’t go through as many things and who don’t have jobs makes me feel jealous of them that they can maintain their GPA a lot easier than I can.”

University of North Texas adolescent development psychology professor Judith Bradetich said class ranks, especially for high school students, could potentially be harmful due to the pressures it puts on students.

“My worry is that students are so focused on those numbers that they’re not focused on learning and critical thinking,” Bradetich said. “They’re just playing a numbers game, and so I can see it being extremely stressful for those students. I think it’s wonderful they’re hiding the rankings.”

Between working a part-time job, taking honors courses and participating in the FFA club, which she later became president of by her senior year, Geils said she felt her workload seemed high for her age. However, having to find balance in a competitive environment is something Geils said she is happy she learned at a young age.

“I think the competitive environment taught me valuable lessons, especially going into the job market soon because I know how to create a competitive advantage for myself against all of the other people that will be competing for the same jobs as me,” Geils said. “It’s let me know that I should be working and involved in extra circulars, and with whatever time I have to spare, I should be studying.”

Plano East High School senior Chris Rodriguez, 18, said this new policy was something he hadn’t heard of before but is glad the school district will implement.

“Even though I personally am not heavily involved in school with extra circulars and stacking my classes with honors courses, it’s still stressful being an average student when ranks are a factor,” Rodriguez said. “You can get an A on that test or study hard for all your exams and be proud of the work you do in class, but honestly, at the end of the day, people only really remember how the match up against their friends in rank.”

Even though ranking the top 10 percent of students is mandatory in the state of Texas for college admissions, Geils said she is worried the people who are obsessive about their rank will go out of their way to find how they stand.

“If I were in the top 10 percent, I would absolutely go out of my way to find out exactly where I stand, no matter how much more difficult [the school district’s new policy] is going to make it,” Geils said. “Overall though, I definitely think this is a step in the right direction.”

Bradetich said with academically stronger school districts, something like a rank is not a true reflection of learning or knowledge.

“Students will find out on their own,” Bradetich said. “They already have a pretty good idea of where they rank, and I think [ranks] will almost to that dog-eat-dog type of mentality. I think it puts the wrong emphasis on learning. That is not learning. They’ll just go through the hoops to see as many they can get.”

Rodriguez said with Plano ISD being a strong school district, he never understood why class ranks are a “big deal” for his peers, echoing Bradetich’s outlook.

“If everyone makes good grades, passes classes and graduates, why do we have to make a big deal about ranks?” Rodriguez said. “I’m really glad [the district] is getting rid of them. I think it will definitely help peer morale and [students] won’t feel bad for taking an art class instead of AP physics.”