Eanes school board members unanimously approved a change in the way Westlake High School students are ranked academically.

Beginning in June this year and effective for the 2011 graduating class, the district will track class rank only for students in the top 10 percent academically of their graduating classes.

This will allow graduating seniors to know if they are eligible for the automatic acceptance into state universities guaranteed to Texas public school students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their classes.

“We feel the advantages of removing that ranking for the remaining 90 percent of students far outweighs any negative aspects,” said district Superintendent Nola Wellman.

Student grade point averages are so high at the district’s only high school that many students who earn high GPAs can wind up being ranked in the lower percentages of their graduating class said principal Linda Rawlings.

“Because of the caliber of the students and educational experience at Westlake, students in our third quarter may have a grade point average of 90 or higher,” Rawlings said.

Those “A” students can find themselves at a disadvantage when competing for admission in colleges and universities that consider class rank when accepting students. Many students with lower GPAs from other school districts often have higher rankings within their graduating classes. Comparing class rankings between districts is not comparing apples to apples, Rawlings said.

The district will have GPA and ranking information calculated for each student, and can supply or verify some ranking data on request from organizations for purposes of scholarships and grants.

“A grading system should be fair,” said board member James Kallison. “It should do three things: distinguish academic performance in a meaningful way, enhance college entry and (add third thing). The evidence seems compelling that what is proposed is a much better system in addressing those three criteria.”

By law, public schools in Texas have to assign a rank number to each student in the top 10 percent of their class, Rawlings said. There is no law requiring that Texas schools rank every student. The school board’s decision to limit class rank reporting came after months of study by a class rank committee that included students, parents and staff.