Rhonda Jemison, principal of Springfield High School, asked juniors to stand in the school auditorium to be recognized for their high marks. Then, she had sophomores stand and look at their older peers.

“You need to look at them as the rabbit you are chasing,” she said.

The high school was honored Wednesday as one of 98 “Schools of Promise” in Ohio, a designation given to schools that score highly on state standardized tests despite high poverty levels. Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Richard Ross was on hand at the high school to present the award, which was based on test scores by last year’s sophomores.

“We have a perception in some parts of the country that if you are poor, you don’t do well [in school],” Mr. Ross said.

Springfield Superintendent Michael O’Shea highlighted the importance a community plays in a school’s success, and how a school’s performance reflects on a community. Senior Nathaniel Dusseau, who said he has a full scholarship to Ohio State University, told his schoolmates that despite coming from a low-income family, Springfield has given him an opportunity to excel.

“We are breaking the cycle of poverty by overcoming the grueling obstacles we face every day,” he said.

Mr. Ross said Springfield and other “Schools of Promise” could serve as a model for other schools in high poverty areas. But poverty is relative.

Most of the 98 “Schools of Promise” are in rural districts. Those in Ohio’s major cities were nontraditional schools, such as magnet schools, for which students apply to enter and generally have a specific subject focus or unique curriculum model.

For instance, the two Toledo Public Schools high schools that received the designations were the Toledo Technology Academy and Toledo Early College High School.

Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at: nrosenkrans@theblade.com or 419-724-6086, or on Twitter @NolanRosenkrans.

First Published January 8, 2015, 5:00 a.m.