Three Fayette County high schools are among a select few in the nation to receive an inaugural national award recognizing their excellence in preparing graduating seniors for postsecondary success.

McIntosh High, Starr’s Mill High and Whitewater High schools have been selected as College Success Award winners by GreatSchools.org, a national nonprofit education resource. The award is the first of its kind to recognize public high schools that are doing a great job in preparing graduating seniors for postsecondary success based on college enrollment, remediation and persistence data.

The first-ever award is being given to only 825 high schools in nine states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio. McIntosh, Starr’s Mill and Whitewater are among 96 high schools in Georgia to receive the honor.

To earn the award, schools must be in the top 30th percentile in the state for an average of the following college success indicators: college remediation, college enrollment, college entrance exam participation/scores (SAT/ACT), college persistence (enrolling in the 2nd year of college) and high school graduation. Each winning school also has to be above average for each of these indicators individually.

The awards are not only designed to celebrate schools that have cracked the code on supporting postsecondary student success, but also to shine a light on the most effective best practices.

All winning schools were invited to complete a survey providing information about how they support college readiness and preparation. Data collected from the survey will be used in a special report highlighting key trends, as well as in a series of articles and videos that will share best practices with policy makers, educators and parents who use the GreatSchools resource.

GreatSchools is the leading national nonprofit empowering parents to unlock educational opportunities for their child. GreatSchools’ trusted ratings and school information help parents find the right school for their family and improve schools in their communities. The thousands of articles, tips and interactive tools help parents support their child’s learning and wellbeing every day. Families, community leaders and policy-makers turn to GreatSchools for the school information they need to guide children to great futures.