TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo Public Schools is getting some recognition for its magnet schools.
Two of the district's schools are the top in the state.
According to Niche.com, Toledo Early College is now the number one magnet school in the state; but that's not all, Toledo Technology Academy (TTA) takes the number two spot for magnet schools in Ohio.
School leaders are excited about this ranking.
"I think that it's wonderful. Well-deserved recognition because the staff here builds relationships with our students," Toledo Technology Academy's senior director Susan Rowe-Finley said.
These rankings are based on curriculum and rigor, diversity, state report cards and college credit classes.
"I am excited, I am exuberant, I am so happy for our students and our staff," Toledo Early College principal Paulette Cole said.
They're not surprised, either.
Rowe-Finley says the staff and students work really hard to meet the school's standards of excellence.
"We demand a lot from our students. It's very rigorous, the curriculum is taught to the same standard as TPS but a lot of our curriculum is not the same curriculum," Rowe-Finley said.
Superintendent Romules Durant says the kids are successful because of how magnet schools operate.
Students do not have to live in the Toledo area to attend but do have to apply and be accepted into the program.
"I would say our magnet schools are our most diverse schools in the region. Kids are coming from rural areas, suburban areas and inner cities to come. That's the true value of education because diversity drives success," Durant said.
Because of that, he says the students have both academic and financial advantages by the time they are graduating, and that sets them apart from other schools in the region.
Durant says these rankings show all the hard work and investments into the district's magnet schools are paying off. He also says the ultimate goal is for all of the TPS magnet schools to be ranked on this list.