Class Rank Makes A Return?

Dana Schallheim

AACPS Board of Education, District 5

Proposed changes to the grading policy that could include calculation of class rank are back before the Board of Education of Anne Arundel County. The issue of class rank was last discussed and disposed of in spring 2019. The student member of the board at the time, Josie Urrea, championed the issue, which produced many hours of public testimony and heated debate during board meetings.

In June 2019, the board — myself included — voted to get rid of class rank in favor of developing an alternative process for valedictorian and salutatorian selection. I am the only member of the board who was serving at that time.

The debate over class rank in 2019 hinged around a few key issues – course selection, scholarships, and, most importantly, student mental health. Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) already had the Latin honors system in place alongside weighted GPAs, awarding up to a 5.0 for a grade of A in an AP, IB or dual-enrollment class.

In her public testimony in support of getting rid of class rank, the Severna Park High School (SPHS) class of 2019 valedictorian stated, “I did not take classes that interested me, because I knew they would bring down my rank. I missed out on robotics, and speech and debate, and piano, and aerospace engineering, and architecture, and creative writing and social issues, all standard or honors classes that I would have liked to try.”

Should class rank return and be available to students prior to the start of their senior year, I have no doubt that high-achieving students at SPHS and every other high school will forgo opportunities to take classes based on interest in favor of piling on AP classes as the 2019 SPHS valedictorian did when she graduated with 15 APs or equivalent credits under her belt.

Secondly, there is the question of whether there are universities or scholarships that both require class rank for consideration and disadvantage students who do not have access to their class rank. This myth was widely debunked in 2019 because a majority of school systems in the U.S. had abandoned class rank. It’s even more true today. Even though some universities and service academies list class rank as a factor for admissions, there is no institution I can find that punishes students for not providing it.

In recent years, many universities have moved toward an admissions model that looks at students more holistically, taking into account the variety and purpose of classes completed, GPA, essays, extracurricular activities, school profile, etc. over the quantity of AP classes – the predominate way one can be ranked near the top under a weighted GPA model.

SPHS graduates one of the highest, if not the highest, number of students who earn the Summa Cum Laude designation in the county, requiring a weighted GPA of 4.3 or higher. In 2025, nearly 43% of SPHS graduates achieved a GPA greater than a 4.0. This makes getting into the top 10% very difficult.

It’s also worth mentioning that most schools in Montgomery County got rid of class rank roughly 20 years ago and Howard County Public Schools did the same in 2019. Key School, Severn School, The Gunston School, and Indian Creek School also do not calculate class rank. There is no evidence to suggest that students who attend any of these schools, whether public or private, have been disadvantaged or harmed in terms of scholarship opportunities or college admissions, including admissions to service academies.

In fact, the contrary might prove to be true because class rank tends to advantage small, rural school districts. Large, suburban districts like AACPS benefited from eliminating it. If class rank is restored, AACPS students may lose slots at universities like the University of Maryland to rural counties as well as to Montgomery and Howard, which don’t rank.

Lastly, and most importantly, is the question regarding the negative effects of class rank on our students and their mental health. Returning to the cutthroat culture of who will be ranked near or at the top each year will result in more stress, lower self-esteem, greater depression, and poor mental health according to a vast body of research that dates back decades.

Research has shown that comparing students in this way has lasting effects that persist long after graduation and shapes how students see themselves as learners going forward into college and careers. Negative social comparisons like class rank can harm both physical and mental development in young people. Assigning even part of one’s self-worth to a number calculated to the thousandth decimal place will prove again to be harmful.

Those who wish to submit their opinion on this topic can testify either virtually or in person during our March 18 (6:30pm), April 8 (noon), and/or April 22 (6:30pm) meetings. Details about how to sign up are released on the Friday preceding each meeting via all usual channels including on AACPS Facebook and Instagram pages. Those who wish to email can do so by writing to boardoffice@aacps.org and request that their email be forwarded to all members. As always, I can be reached at dschallheim@aacps.org, 443-534-2660, or on the socials.