HUNTSVILLE – Floating alone on a raft among a sea of A+ grades, the nation’s only high school focused on the integration of cyber technology and engineering into all academic disciplines received a report card with just one blemish.
A mark of C in sports.
That’s according to Niche’s 2024 rankings of Alabama public high schools, which placed Huntsville’s Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE) at No. 3 behind Montgomery’s Loveless Academic Magnet Program (LAMP) and Mobile’s Alabama School of Mathematics and Science.
“It kind of hurt my feelings,” ASCTE President Matt Massey told 256 Today. “When you (256 Today) mentioned it, I hadn’t even noticed that part of the rankings. I went back in and looked at it, and I was kind of trying to get the breakdown of why we’d get a C and how they do each category.
“Some schools don’t even have sports.”
Niche is a trusted online resource providing information on K–12 schools, colleges, cities, neighborhoods and companies across the United States. It publishes findings at niche.com. Other area ranked schools include Madison’s James Clemens (No. 6) and Bob Jones (8), Huntsville’s New Century Technology (9), Hartselle (18) and Huntsville (20).
As for its reputation as a top-flight high school, Massey didn’t think ASCTE would even be considered for any kind of rankings this quickly in its existence despite high-end results among its students. ASCTE is in its fourth school year.
“We had a clear mission, a vision,” Massey said. “We’ve got a great team – our board and our foundation. I wasn’t surprised at the success. That ranking, I was surprised about that. We’ve got a good thing going.”
ASCTE, created by an act of the state Legislature in 2018, is a residential and commuter magnet high school serving students throughout the state of Alabama. Tuition is free. Funds are raised by the foundation.
“I believe in public education,” Massey said. “I believe our public schools in Alabama are the best they’ve ever been.”
Massey said ASCTE is “almost like a lab. People come in and visit, see what we’re doing and we want to help other principals and superintendents and teachers.”
To that end, Massey and staff are charged by the state with helping other schools throughout Alabama with matters related to cyber education.
“There’s a cyber workforce shortage,” he said. “Alabama can be a leader of this in the nation. We built this school with intentions for it to be a national model.
“The state ranking is fine, but that’s not our goal. We want to be a national model and an international model as well.”
While it’s not surprising, ASCTE isn’t elite in athletics, not yet at least, Massey hopes to improve in that area. After all, he has roots deep into the sports arena. His late father, Ronny, had Grissom head football coach among the stops on his resume. His mother, Helen, also coached and headed the volleyball program at Buckhorn.
Matt Massey, who served as Madison County Schools Superintendent and Buckhorn principal before that, not only coached at past stops but today is an assistant to Paden Crowder for the Sentinels’ boys tennis team.
ASCTE is in its second season as a full member of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. As expected, successes have been few, but the boys tennis team placed second in Class 2A last season and brought home a trophy featuring the state map in red. First place gets a blue colored trophy.
The Sentinels haven’t had campus athletic facilities. They’ve practiced at UAH and Alabama A&M as well as churches and other places. That’s changing.
Roger Wright, who coached at Lee and Buckhorn High Schools and also UAH, is the school’s athletic director. He said campus tennis courts are nearly finished, an all-purpose field for the soccer team is under construction and ground breaks in January for a $12.1 million “student activity center’’ of sorts that will include a gym.
Niche gave ASCTE a grade of A+ in six of seven categories: diversity, teachers, college prep, clubs and activities, sports, food and resources and facilities.
There is, however, the matter of that C. The Sentinels field teams in archery, basketball, bowling, cross country, esports, soccer, swimming, volleyball, tennis, track and field and volleyball.
Massey contends the student/athletes are ambassadors and their teams provide a face for the school. He holds out faith the boys tennis squad might soon raise the school’s profile.
“We might make a run,’’ he said. “Maybe we’ll bring back a blue map this season.’’
Niche.com’s ranking of Alabama public high schools:
- LAMP (Montgomery)
- Alabama School of Mathematics and Science (Mobile)
- ASCTE (Huntsville)
- Alabama School of Fine Arts (Birmingham)
- Homewood
- James Clemens (Madison)
- Mountain Brook
- Bob Jones (Madison)
- New Century Technology (Huntsville)
- Spain Park (Hoover)
- Vestavia Hills
- Auburn
- Hoover
- Fairhope
- G.W. Long (Skipperville)
- Hewitt-Trussville
- Sweet Water
- Hartselle
- Thompson (Alabaster)
- Huntsville
- Oak Mountain
- Brewbaker Tech Magnet (Montgomery)
- Saraland
- Enterprise
- Pelham
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