Cd'A Charter Academy continues to be a top school in Idaho, U.S.

A top Idaho school is ending another school year with an A+.

Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy is the No. 1 high school in Idaho and the No. 1 school in Coeur d'Alene. It also ranks No. 29 nationally among charter high schools and No. 132 nationally among high schools, according to U.S. News & World Report.

The news, consumer advice, rankings and analysis organization also ranked Coeur d'Alene Charter as No. 29 in the national charter high school category and as No. 132 in the U.S. News Best High School Rankings, which include data on more than 24,000 public high schools in 50 states and Washington, D.C. Nearly 18,000 schools were ranked on six factors, including state assessment performance and how well they prepare their students for college.

"It's really gratifying to watch our kids perform at such a high level year after year," Coeur d'Alene Charter Principal Dan Nicklay said Friday. "Our students aren't necessarily gifted, but they are hard workers and provide pretty good evidence that overcoming challenges leads to good results. One of my favorite pieces of anecdotal evidence of our success is when students visit after going off to college and tell me how easy college is, and how grateful they are for having stayed with us through graduation."

Coeur d'Alene Charter serves about 220 ninth-through-12th graders. Its overall score, according to U.S. News & World Report, is 99.26 out of 100, with a graduation rate of 96%. Charter also received an 87% for students who took at least one Advanced Placement exam and an 84% for students who passed at least one AP exam.

Nothing about Charter is innovative, Nicklay said; its model is traditional.

"Obviously, it helps to have good, committed families, who believe in the value of rigorous coursework," he said. "I have said many times that the secret ingredient may be that, as a student, you are surrounded by other students who, along with their parents, care deeply about their education. This creates a culture of excellence and high expectations. On top of that, we are constantly looking for ways to do it better within the parameters of our mission."

Charter sets the bar high, Nicklay said, "and we know that a student with average ability can do great things, as long as he or she has a good work ethic."

"I think the biggest difference is that everyone here — staff, students and parents — is here by choice, because they believe in what we're doing," Nicklay said. "That is, they know we are here to challenge them, and they recognize the value in that. This allows us to push kids pretty hard, knowing that they are up for the challenge, and knowing that we have the support of our amazing parents. Also, the fact that we are specifically a college-prep school gives us a clear goal."