AKRON, Ohio — Hundreds of Akron Early College High School students paraded down South Main Street on Thursday, Nov. 5, celebrating a rare distinction: for the third consecutive year, their school finished first among Ohio high schools in overall points on the state report card. Led by a banner reading “#1 High School in Ohio,” students carried signs, noisemakers and pompoms from near the Polsky Building to Lock 3 for a rally, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.
The numbers behind the celebration are striking. On the latest Ohio report card, which reflects work from the 2025-26 school year, Akron Early College earned 4.96 points out of a maximum of 5 in overall points and received a five-star overall rating, according to reporting by the Akron Beacon Journal on the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce results. Signal Akron, which also covered the Nov. 5 parade, likewise reported that the specialty school received five stars and was the top-performing public high school in Ohio for the third consecutive year.
The parade looked more like a championship celebration than a school assembly. Students were joined by the school’s cheerleaders and pep band, its Wallaroo mascot and the University of Akron’s Zippy mascot, along with city first responders and Akron safety forces, the Akron Beacon Journal and Signal Akron reported. Cheers erupted as students streamed into Lock 3, where more than 150 family members, alumni, community leaders and residents had gathered.
“They shut down Main Street for us,” Principal Tom O’Neil told the crowd from the Lock 3 stage, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. “That’s a big deal.” Akron Mayor Shammas Malik, who declared Nov. 5, 2026, as Akron Early College High School Day, urged students to hold on to the moment, telling them, according to the Akron Beacon Journal: “On days in the future that are tough, I want you to remember this moment. And remember, you can do anything.”
The recognition went well beyond city hall. The celebration included a congressional commendation and proclamations from the Ohio House of Representatives and the city of Akron recognizing the school’s top ranking among schools serving grades 9 through 12 for the past three years, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. Akron Board of Education President Barbara Sykes told the crowd at Lock 3 that excellence is not determined by ZIP code, Signal Akron reported, adding in remarks quoted by Signal Akron: “Every child deserves the opportunity to achieve greatness — and you are our greatness.”
Superintendent Mary Outley and Sykes also emphasized that the success shows what happens when a community rallies behind its students. “This celebration is about more than just being No. 1,” Sykes told the Akron Beacon Journal. “It’s about what happens when opportunity meets preparation, when high expectations are met with strong support and when an entire community believes in its children.”
Akron Early College was established in 2007 as a partnership between Akron Public Schools and the University of Akron, located on the university’s campus, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. It is small by design — roughly 400 students, 15 teachers and seven staff — and was built especially for first-generation college students, drawing from throughout Akron Public Schools and neighboring districts, according to the Akron Beacon Journal and Signal Akron.
The model asks a lot of teenagers, and admission reflects that. Prospective students must submit an application and letters of recommendation showing they can take on increasing college-level work, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. Students earn University of Akron credits while still in high school, and many graduate with both a diploma and an associate degree — a head start that can save families time and tuition money.
The report card measures several things at once: overall points combine achievement, graduation, college readiness, progress and gap closing, the Akron Beacon Journal reported. In earlier reporting on the same card, the Beacon Journal noted the school ranked first among Ohio’s 558 schools serving grades 9 through 12, 12th among all 3,230 ranked Ohio schools, and first in Summit County on the performance index, with 109.5 points out of 111.5.
The timeline stretches back nearly two decades. The school opened in 2007. The latest report cards were released in the fall, reflecting the 2025-26 school year. The district and city announced the parade in October, adjusted the route in late October, and stepped off at 1 p.m. on Nov. 5 near East Buchtel Avenue and South Main Street — in effect, a third straight championship parade for academic work rather than athletics.
For students and graduates, the recognition itself was part of the point. Angel Haslam, who graduated in May and is now a University of Akron business student, told the Akron Beacon Journal: “We kind of miss out on the high school experience so having this celebration is really nice.” Sophomore Lailah Jenkins, of the cheerleading squad that debuted a special performance, told the Akron Beacon Journal: “Even though the school is small, our love for each other is big.”
What happens next is the quieter work that produced the headline. Akron Early College will keep admitting students through its application process, keep moving them through University of Akron coursework, and try to defend a No. 1 ranking that now carries a three-year streak. For Akron Public Schools, the broader test is whether the investment and support celebrated at Lock 3 can lift achievement across more of the district’s schools.