“How deserving – it’s an incredible campus!” said BASIS Educational Ventures co-chairman Patti Bezanson. “Students, families, teachers, and staff at BASIS Peoria should be extremely proud – what an awesome accomplishment. BASIS Peoria does great things; that’s always been the case. This year, those great things were better than any other campus in America!”
BASIS Peoria is not alone in its celebration. In US News’ unveiling of its rankings on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, the twelve BASIS Charter Schools eligible for this year’s rankings solidified the network’s position at the summit of American education. Nearly 25,000 schools were assessed, and nearly 18,000 were ranked. Not only did BASIS sweep the national rankings with 11 schools in the top 100, but it also swept rankings of the nation’s charter schools and STEM campuses, plus state rankings, too.
“No other district or network comes close to matching that,” said Dr. Craig R. Barrett, Chairman of the Board of BASIS Charter Schools. “It is testament to our K-12 curriculum, our educators, and, most of all, our students.”
BASIS Peoria opened in 2011 and serves middle school and high school. “It’s a place where kids are serious about their studies, but truly have fun with it,” says BASIS Peoria Head of School Melissa Rankin. “It’s a supportive community, with wonderful families, passionate teachers who carry themselves with professionalism, and, obviously, utterly incredible students – from 5th graders to high school seniors. They deserve this!”
“While the rankings capture our journey, it’s the steadfast dedication of our students and teachers that truly catalyzes our student success,” said BASIS Educational Ventures co-chairman Dr. Peter Bezanson. “Let’s note that while these are high school rankings, and our high school students have incredible high school teachers – that journey starts well before 9th grade!” He continued, “These excellent rankings are a product of hard work by our primary school teachers, too. Each BASIS primary school, and every teacher and staff member on those campuses, directly share in these awesome accolades and should take pride in these rankings.”
