The teachers, parents, administrators and students at the Natchez Early College Academy deserve a hearty round of applause.

The school, part of the Natchez-Adams School District, is tailored to offer the district’s best and brightest students a leg up on a college education.

U.S. News & World Report recently honored NECA as one of the nation’s best high schools.

The school was one of only 6,000 honored across the country, only one of 64 honored in Mississippi.

Interestingly the data used to rate the school was pulled two years ago.

District officials contend the school should achieve higher marks now as the school has grown in size and prominence.

During the 2015-2016 school year, NECA earned a B rating on state testing, the highest marks in the district.

We congratulate and applaud principal Kesha Broady-Campbell and her team on the success.

All too often our school system gets beat up in public for its flaws, but in this case, the district’s successes deserve greater attention and prominence.

We believe the future is bright for the Natchez Early College Academy as well as other schools in the district.

That will be particularly true when school district and community leaders focus on the future possibilities of all students and not merely on current flaws.