COVINGTON, Ky. — Holmes High School is celebrating a big milestone.
Kentucky's Department of Education released the report cards for the 2024-2025 school year, and the school has moved up in performance level assessment.
"I'm very proud," Holmes junior Angelee Lesniak said.
Lesniak said she's had to deal with her school not having a great reputation in the past.
"There will be adults, they'll ask you, 'Hey, where do you go to school?' And I'll answer, 'I go to Holmes.' And they'll give you sort of like a weird look, 'Oh, I'm so sorry for you,'" Lesniak said.
Lesniak, her fellow students and the school and administration staff have been working to change that perception.
Watch to see how the local high school has improved its performance:
Three years ago, Holmes High School found itself at the lowest possible performance level, which is designated by the color red. There are five performance levels in total. Those scored "required assistance from the state and targeted assistance for its Hispanic and special education student populations," according to a school spokesperson.
Now, following the 2024-2025 school year, it's a "yellow school," which is two levels higher.
"We've put in a lot of work in the last five, six years," Interim Principal Angela Turnick said.
Turnick described how the district has made the bump to improve its performance and culture.
"We worked hard to make sure that we were looking at those Kentucky state standards and making sure that we were building units and learning targets, all those pieces that come with curriculum," Turnick said.
With the school in an upward trajectory, I asked the interim principal how she plans to help her school continue to improve.
"I think the path forward is to continue to work the systems that we put in place. We're seeing growth because we're making sure that we're monitoring and implementing those systems," Turnick said.
You can search your child's school and district at this online portal.
