HARLINGEN — She feels honored to be part of a winning team.
“I feel very honored and humbled,” said Pamela Flores, principal at Early College High School, which has just been recognized with the College Success Award by GreatSchools.
GreatSchools is the leading national nonprofit empowering parents to unlock educational opportunities for their child. The organization’s trusted ratings and school information help parents find the right school for their family and improve schools in their communities, says it’s website.
This is the second year the organization has given the College Success Award. The honor this year recognizes 1,722 high schools across 25 states.
“Those schools have a successful track record of going beyond simply graduating students to helping them enroll in college and succeed once they get there,” says its website. “Winners represent about 20 percent of eligible public high schools.”
Flores said ECHS’s recognition is the result of a “team effort.”
“The teachers work very hard to prepare our students, our students are very focused and very driven,” she said. “This is all the result of the teachers’ hard work and our students’ commitment to set goals for themselves.”
She described her leadership role at ECHS as a “privilege.”
“It’s a wonderful thing to be a part of,” she said. “It goes without saying we have a great leadership team beginning with our superintendent and our board members. They are so supportive of all our campuses and very supportive of Early College High School. Without them we would not have these accomplishments.”
MORE INFO
In Texas, 229 public schools earned a College Success Award in 2019. The following Valley schools made it on the list.
Science Academy of South Texas – Mercedes
South Texas High School of Health Professions – Mercedes
IDEA Frontier College Preparatory – Brownsville
IDEA Quest College Preparatory – Edinburg
Brownsville Early College High School
South Texas Business Education and Technology Academy – Edinburg
Jimmy Carter Early College High School – La Joya
IDEA College Prep – Donna
IDEA College Preparatory – Mission
Mercedes Early College Academy – Mercedes
South Texas Academy for Medical Professions – Olmito
Veterans Memorial High School – Brownsville
IDEA College Preparatory – San Benito
IDEA College Preparatory – San Juan
PSJA Thomas Jefferson ECHS – Pharr-San Juan-Alamo
Robert R. Vela High School – Edinburg
Memorial High School – McAllen
Hidalgo Early College High School – Hidalgo
La Villa Early College High School – La Villa
Mercedes High School
