Dear Erie High School families,

I enjoyed another great week at Erie High School, as our students continue to thrive in their academic, extracurricular, artistic, and athletic endeavors.  This week I had the opportunity to observe several classes, and attend tennis, soccer, and softball competitions, and I am looking forward to attending Friday’s football game in Montrose and one of the fall productions from the EHS Theatre program on Saturday night.  I feel fortunate to be a part of such a vibrant community and to see our students excel in so many ways.

During our Wednesday late start, I met with the EHS faculty to review our school performance data from the 2022-2023 school year, to reinforce our vision and establish goals for the 2023-2024 school year, and to kick off our professional development system for this year.  I am very proud to share the following highlights with our community:

• Erie High School student attendance rate increased from 91.23% in 2021/22 to 93.35% in 2022/23, and chronic absenteeism decreased from 29.36% to 19.90% in the same time period.  This is a huge improvement in just one year’s time, and a great tribute to the commitment of our students and families to their education.
• The Erie High School Class of 2024 earned an average SAT score of 1082 in the April 2023 administration, which was the highest average composite score in the past three years.  
• Our students completed 1,085 Advanced Placement exams in May 2023, earning a 69% pass rate, which continued a strong growth trend at EHS over the past five years.  In that same period of time, our students have increased AP participation from 754 exams in 2019 to 1,085 in 2023.
• Late last week, the College Board recognized Erie High School students for the following designations:
  • 29 AP Capstone diplomas for the members of the Class of 2023
  • 111 AP Scholars
  • 49 AP Scholars with Honor
  • 34 AP Scholars with Distinction, and
  • 45 AP Seminar/Research Awards 
• In late August, the US News & World Report recognized Erie High School as one of its Best High Schools in America, and a top 75 high school in Colorado.  
• This year, I am excited to share that our students are registered to complete 1,491 AP courses, another large jump in participation in this rigorous academic coursework.

These accolades and achievements are a great tribute to our students, teachers, families, and community members, as we all work together to support the development of high achievement and academic excellence among our students.

I am so grateful to our families and community members for their strong and steadfast support of our students and school.  We have an important partnership in guiding all students towards on-time graduation and personal and academic success during their time at Erie High School.  

I hope that you and your family enjoy a great upcoming weekend!

Sincerely,

Josh Griffin

Erie High School Principal