- Durham Public Schools
- Homepage
Riverside High School Receives National Recognition for Commitment to Empowering Students
Riverside High School has been recognized as a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Distinguished School for providing broad access to transformative learning opportunities for students through PLTW Engineering. It is one of only 133 high schools across the U.S. to receive this honor.
More than 5000 schools nationwide have PLTW programs, but only 340 have been selected as PLTW Distinguished Schools. Of that 340, 133 are high schools and 10 are in North Carolina. Riverside is one of only six high schools in the state to receive this national distinction.
The PLTW Distinguished School recognition honors schools committed to increasing student access, engagement, and achievement in their PLTW programs. To be eligible for the designation, Riverside had to meet the following criteria:
- Offer at least three PLTW courses. Riverside offers seven courses in the engineering pathway.
- Have 25 percent of students or more participate in PLTW courses, or of those who participated in PLTW, at least 33 percent took two or more PLTW courses. Of those who participated at Riverside, a staggering 100 percent took two or more PLTW courses in their high school tenure.
- Have 70 percent of students or more earn a Proficient or higher on PLTW End-of-Course Assessments, or have 10 percent of students earn the AP + PLTW Student Achievement. Riverside had 90 percent of students earn a Proficient or higher on PLTW EOC assessments and almost 70 percent of students earned college credit through the AP + PLTW Student Achievement.
As home to one of the state’s premier PLTW engineering programs—the ultimate college prep course of study for STEM-minded students—Riverside has seven rigorous AP engineering courses, an experienced and distinguished faculty, and a college and career readiness plan comprised of 10 distinct elements.
“It is a great honor to recognize Riverside High for their commitment to students,” said Vince Bertram, President and CEO of PLTW. “They are a model for what school should look like, and they should be very proud of ensuring students have the knowledge and skills to be career-ready and successful on any career path they choose.”
For more information on Riverside’s PLTW program or to set up a school visit, please call the school at (919) 560-3695.
Riverside is part of a community of K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and corporate and philanthropic partners across the country united around a passion for providing students with inspiring, engaging, and empowering learning opportunities. For more information about PLTW’s recognition program, visit pltw.org/our-programs/program-recognition.