The West Irondequoit Central School District superintendent told the Board of Education on Dec. 19 that the district has not maintained a formal class-rank system for several years and will move to put that standing practice into writing.

"I'll be very transparent with you. There isn't 1 that was not put in writing," Superintendent Johnson said, acknowledging that while the practice of dissolving class rank and moving to broader recognition was established, the promised building regulation was never finalized. He said the district will draft the regulation, revisit research used in 2018, and consult families and colleges to understand whether optional reporting of rank would benefit students seeking competitive scholarships or admission to selective institutions.

Board members asked whether local high schools that do not rank provide alternative documentation for students who request it. Johnson said the district already provides percentile or percentile-based confirmations and will re-examine regional data as part of the drafting process. He also noted technical limitations in the student-management system and the need to clean historical data (e.g., foreign-exchange students and other anomalies) before any optional rank reporting would be offered. Any verification would be restricted to the senior year and would be subject to the district's evaluation of academic and social-emotional impacts.

Why it matters: Families and students raised the issue, asking for clarity and written policy. For top-tier applicants to very selective colleges, the presence or absence of rank — and how it is reported — can be relevant; Johnson said advice from some scholarship providers and colleges suggests rank is often optional but may be considered when provided.

Next steps: District staff will prepare a written building regulation that captures the practice, check with regional college-admissions practices and scholarship providers, work with families who request rank verification, and report back to the board on recommended language and any necessary student-information-system updates.