There are a lot of smiles walking around the campus of Erath High School. Yeah, today is homecoming and that usually translates to happy students and parents. But another, and bigger reason the staff, students and Erath High alumni are smiling is because of the newly released statewide school performance scores and letter grade EHS received.

Erath High received the grade of "A-plus.”

Erath High’s Baseline School Performance Scores (BSPS) for 2011 of 140.8 blew every non select enrollment school in state out of the water. Every school in the state that had a higher baseline school performance score than EHS can pick and choose its students to help boost its school scores. Example: Louisiana School for Math and Science & the Arts had a letter grade of “A” but a school performance score of 173.5.

A perfect performance score is 200 but none of 1,300 public schools reached that score.

When the news broke of Erath’s grade and score, the staff and student body were thrilled.

“It is exciting,” said Angie Lange, Erath High’s counselor.

EHS Principal Francis Touchet, assistant principal Liz Vice and Lange did not hesitate when asked why Erath High has done well each year (Erath High School Performance Scores the last five years: 101.1 in 2007, 110 in 2008, 117 in 2009, 120 in 2010 and 140.8 in 2011).

“Our staff and administration hold our students accountable,” said Touchet. “We expect our students to do well from when their freshman year to their senior year.”

Touchet added a lot of extra work goes into helping raise the academic bar for EHS. Each summer some of the staff and administration visit schools throughout the state that have scored higher than EHS and learn what is making those schools successful. Then they take what they learned and apply it to Erath High.

“We do not try to reinvent the wheel,” Touchet said.

If a student makes a “F” on their report card, the administration calls the student in, talks to him or her and then sets up an after-school tutoring program to help the student improve their grade.

Because of the extras, not one freshman failed last year.

The administration added that the teachers also have to take a lot of the credit for the high scores because they challenge the students.

“We have a terrific staff,” added Vice. “They have bought into our program.”

With the educational bar now set so high at Erath High, the administration is still positive the scores will continue to climb.

“You are never satisfied,” Touchet said. “You want more. We’re now shooting for a 150.”