SATs, ACTs, APs, and the like are the usual fare in the life of the academically competitive high schooler. As college draws nearer, grades become a priority and high school students work hard to earn the grades necessary to gain acceptance  to the school of their choice. But the time has come for the competition to move across the street to the elementary school.

Too many of America’s youth come into middle school knowing close to nothing of life and the horrors of the real world. It is high time that we implemented middle school entrance exams to root out the unworthy and questionable elementary schoolers, and let only the strong and ambitious survive. Those who make it to middle school will have already taken a step forward on the road to intellectual superiority. Those who fail will show that they are not mentally ready to face the challenges of middle school and the life beyond, and will have to spend more time learning the basic skills (learning the alphabet, remembering that three and three make six and not thirty-three, etc) needed to ensure success in more advanced stages education.

 “There are too many students in middle school who don’t have any potential,” says senior Andrew Ridgway. “This program will prepare students at a young age to enter the workforce, whether it be a career in retail sale or menial labor.”

Scott Sinnickson, a WHBHS senior, is another fervent supporter of the proposed system: “Middle school entrance exams are the greatest idea since those scissors that cut in fancy patterns,” he says. “They will raise the educational bar for America’s kids, and will generate an atmosphere of appreciation for the common values of our school system.”

China has already instituted such exams, with clear success. And now, America should rise to the opportunity and reinstate itself as a new intellectual world power.

Disclaimer:  Views expressed do not accurately reflect the views of the author.