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Special to NWA Democrat-Gazette Haas Hall Academy is again at the top of the list in education. For the seventh straight year, the Fayetteville-based charter high school is ranked No. 1 among public high schools in Arkansas by U.S. News & World Report. Haas Hall Academy is the only gold medal school in the state for the 4th year in a row. The accomplishments don't end there. Haas Hall was ranked 19th among the best 2,000 public high schools in the nation by Newsweek. It also was ranked by The Washington Post as one of America's most challenging schools, placing in the top 1 percent for the seventh year in a row. Additionally, the college- prep school received the highest score in the 2017 Arkansas School Performance Report. "It's validation of our accelerated academic programs, highly qualifi ed faculty and engaged scholars," said Dr. Martin W. Schoppmeyer Jr., founder and superintendent of Haas Hall Academy. The school has a 100 percent graduation rate and a 100 percent college acceptance rate, which Schoppmeyer attributes both to the scholars and to the way the school operates. "The scholars who choose to attend know that this school is an accelerated, college-preparatory institution where they will be challenged based on their academic ability, not limited to exposure of material by grade level," Schoppmeyer said. Haas Hall Academy operates on a semester basis, much like most colleges. Scholars take the standard core courses, but they have options that might not be available in other public high schools, such as engineering and advanced science, mathematics, arts and humanities courses. Scholars also can choose from an extensive list of AP course off erings. They can even take college courses off campus. All of this gives our scholars a feel for college life and how they can succeed at the college level. "The transition from high school to college is seamless for Haas Hall Academy graduates," Schoppmeyer said. Haas Hall Academy serves grades seven through 12 at four campuses in Northwest Arkansas' major cities. Parents must apply for their children to attend the school. Each applicant is assigned a number that is randomly and anonymously selected during the annual lottery drawing. As a public school in the state of Arkansas, the school does not charge tuition. "Demand for our accelerated, college-prep curriculum increases daily," Schoppmeyer said. Haas Hall Academy remains No. 1 School thriving with four campuses ADVERTISING FEATURE Haas Hall Academy is an accelerated, college prep, open enrollment public charter school with campuses in Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Bentonville serving scholars in grades seven through 12. 16 NWA Democrat-Gazette Walmart Shareholders Thursday, May 31, 2018