Emma Hull wrapped up playing “Pomp and Circumstance” with her fellow bandmates at last school year’s graduation ceremony for the class of 2025 when the valedictorian gave a surprise reminder: the district will no longer consider class rank for future students.

Emma, who was a junior at the time, was taken aback by the announcement.

“I was very disheartened at it,” Emma, now a 17-year-old senior, said. “I was like, ‘Oh,’ And I looked at my mom, too, and she was shaking her head. And all my other friends around me, we were all just looking at each other.”

Connellsville in Fayette County is eliminating class rank this school year in favor of a tiered-system that will recognize more students. The decision came after district leaders saw students packing schedules full of Advanced Placement

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