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Education
A strong, high quality education system is an essential element for every community that is seeking to offer its citizens a greater quality of life. In this regard, Granite City is no exception, which is why our school board strives to hire only teachers of the highest quality and is always evaluating and reevaluating its curriculum in order to ensure that it meets the highest of standards. Here, any student that is willing to put in the effort to make the grade can learn the skills and objectives needed to succeed in any of their future endeavors following high school.Whether your child wants to prepare to excel in college, technical school, or even the military, they can
do so through the Granite City school system, which has one of the highest graduation rates in the St. Louis region. Every year, our students graduate and are accepted to some of the most elite universities in the nation, including Duke University, the University of Illinois, Washington University and Northwestern University, just to name a few.Education is and has been held in high esteem throughout the history of our community. Our first school was established by a local Methodist church nearly 50 years before the founding of the City, in 1847. Today, the Granite City School District operates seven elementary schools, two middle schools, a senior high school and a special education facility, which serve more than 6,900 students. The City also has two parochial elementary/middle schools that provide an alternative to public education.
Our high school students have the option to choose from 190 different academic and career-oriented courses, many of which are accelerated or carry honors credit. The school also offers advanced
placement courses in calculus, chemistry and American history among other subjects which earn college credit through either St. Louis University or Southwestern Illinois College. More than 65 courses train students for occupations, including a variety of health occupations, tourism and hospitality, graphic arts, auto technology, and welding. Many of these also provide college credit through arrangements with Southwestern Illinois College and Lewis and Clark Community College. In addition to these courses, students may earn credit hours through the H.S. Band or Choir Programs as well as for working on the High school Yearbook.Following graduation, GCHS graduates have a plethora of local colleges and universities to choose from, including Southwestern Illinois College (SWIC), which has a campus right here in Granite City, St. Louis University, Washington University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, which is one of the best higher education values in the Midwest, having the lowest in-state tuition rates of any public college or university in Illinois. At SIUE, students can choose from one of seven different schools including: the College of Arts & Sciences, the School of Business, the School of Engineering, the School of Nursing, the School of Education, the School of Dental Medicine and the brand new College of Pharmacy.
Those students who opt to begin their post-secondary educational careers at a community college instead of at a four-year school can take advantage of the Illinois college credit transfer program.
Under this program, students can take specified courses which are fully transferable to any state four-year college or university. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Southwestern Illinois College has developed 34 different transferable curriculums in subjects ranging from business administration to pre-med. Other programs the school offers, which are directed at providing a two-year associates degree upon completion, include aviation electronics, banking and finance, horticulture, marketing management and power plant technology, just to name a few. In addition, the Industrial Training Center at the Granite City campus provides industrial training for machinists, pipefitters, welders, electricians, millwrights, and electronics and instrumentation technicians.Beyond these programs, Southwestern Illinois College also offers customized employee training assistance to Granite City business and industry. Furthermore, adults can receive high school diplomas, study English as a second language, and learn to read and write through the college's Adult Education programs. SWIC also offers special programs and services for older persons, enabling them to remain active members of their community.
In summary, Granite City and its surrounding area is blessed with an abundance of quality, yet affordable education opportunities which serve as the perfect complement to the solid educational background that one can receive through our elementary, middle and secondary schools. In our school district, we aim to hire only the best teachers, which is why our teachers’ average salary is much higher than both the County and State average teacher salaries. Also, our teachers have more years teaching experience, on average, than most school districts in Illinois.We are committed to providing the children of our community with a high quality education that will prepare them to achieve excellence in whatever endeavors they choose to pursue. Working together, teachers, students, parents and school officials can ensure that our children can reach for the stars.
For more information about our school district or higher education in the surrounding area, please visit the education statistics section of the website and also check out the video below prepared by GCHS faculty and students.
www.youtube.com/gchs