A Blueprint for Acceleration: How Waggener High School Reimagined the High School Diploma
“Every high school educator feels this awesome responsibility weighing on you day in and day out,” says Dr. Sarah Hitchings, Executive Principal at Waggener High School. “Our time with our students is fleeting. We have them for four years, and we are the last stop before they become young adults.”
A decade ago, making those four years count meant navigating a traditional high school model that often left students adrift after graduation. Today, as the Academies of Louisville marks its tenth year of transforming public education across Jefferson County, Waggener stands as a living proof point of what happens when a school fundamentally rethinks its purpose.
Of the 15 Academies of Louisville High Schools, Hitchings is the only original executive principal from "Year 0" still leading her school into Year 10. For her, looking back highlights a complete paradigm shift.
“I’ve been fortunate to be doing this work for 10 years now, and I did this work for a long time before that,” Hitchings reflects. “I wish I could go back, because this is the way to do it.”
Laying the Foundation in Freshman Academy
While the senior credentials capture headlines, the shift at Waggener begins during the ninth-grade transition. Moving from middle to high school is historically one of the highest-risk inflection points for teenagers. To address this, Waggener built a dedicated Freshman Academy anchored by a mandatory, year-long Freshman Seminar course.
Guided by dedicated team leaders and two specialized instructors, ninth graders spend the year building high school study habits while taking a deep dive into every upperclassman academy pathway offered on campus. By the end of freshman year, students aren't randomly assigned to a track; instead, they make an intentional, informed choice about their next three years.
“Wall-to-wall academy models mean every student. Every student on campus is named and claimed in an academy, within that academy in a pathway, which launches a four-course sequence for them to go through their career exploration.”
This structural equity has yielded concrete academic results beyond graduation rates. Waggener previously held state "targeted support" status due to achievement gaps among subgroups, including multilingual learners, students of color, and students receiving free or reduced lunch. Through the universal wall-to-wall approach, Waggener shed targeted support designation for the above subgroups as state standardized assessment scores rose steadily across 10th and 11th grade content areas.
Scaling Industry Connections & Growing Educators
When the Academies of Louisville launched, Jefferson County Public Schools had just 13 active business partners. Today, that network has expanded to over 350 regional partners. For Waggener, these partners step into classrooms to host authentic panel discussions, conduct site visits, and facilitate job shadowing and internship opportunities.
Furthermore, Waggener is actively addressing the regional teacher shortage from within its own hallways. Through its Teaching and Learning Pathway, aspiring educators complete observation hours in local elementary and middle schools. Last year alone, 16 graduating seniors signed conditional contracts of employment with JCPS, guaranteeing them teaching positions in the district once they complete their education degrees.
The Power of "Diploma Plus"
Before the wall-to-wall academy framework fully rolled out at Waggener, only about 30 percent of graduating seniors met post-secondary readiness benchmarks. Today, that figure has skyrocketed to over 80 percent alongside a 90 percent graduation rate.
Seniors aren't just walking across the graduation stage with high school diplomas; they leave armed with industry certifications as certified CNAs, EKG technicians, and physical therapy technicians. Many graduate having accumulated up to 30 hours of dual credit, entering higher education with sophomore standing.
Hitchings summarizes this structural edge in a single word: acceleration.
“The academy model helps us accelerate their preparation,” Hitchings explains. “When they walk across that stage, they have a foot up from their post-secondary competition. They have a diploma plus.”
Strengthening the Workplace Culture
That sense of momentum has also stabilized the adult workforce inside the building. Waggener has consistently maintained a teacher retention rate above 90 percent, driven by cohort-based teacher teams who share common students and a common mission.
In a traditional high school setup, teachers often work in subject-area silos. Under the academy model, interdisciplinary teams of teachers wrap around the same cohort of students for multiple years. This team structure creates a shared accountability network for student performance, reducing educator burnout and building a deep sense of professional community across the campus.
Leading as a National Model
Waggener’s trajectory earned national recognition when it became the first school in Kentucky to achieve Model status from the National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC), with its Freshman Academy earning Model with Distinction. Today, Waggener routinely hosts visiting district leaders and educators from across the country seeking to replicate its success.
“We internalize that word model,” says Hitchings. “The definition of model is that others seek to imitate you. We hold each other to high standards of making sure our words and behaviors on a daily basis are those that others would want to imitate.”
Ten years in, that daily commitment changes what it means to lead those fleeting four years of high school. By ensuring every student leaves with industry credentials, college credits, and a clear career path, the model fulfills that foundational responsibility of getting teenagers ready for adulthood.