Sisters ranked among the best for athletes

Sisters High School is well known in the state as a school that perennially fields competitive sports teams. A story in last week's Oregonian newspaper reported that the Outlaws ranked highly in a study about schools that are considered best for high school athletes.

This study was not focused on winning and losing, but more on whether the school met other criteria considered to be indications of a strong athletic program.

Through surveys from parents and students and other research, the study by Niche.com looked at participation levels for both boys and girls, expenses per student, variety of sports offered and more.

Sisters High School Athletic Director Gary Thorson was not surprised that Sisters ranked highly. Sisters High School ranked 17th overall and was one of only three 4A schools in the top-40 list.

"We offer about the same number of different sports as schools twice our size," he said, "and our participation rates are as high as any school I can think of."

6A West Linn topped the list among public schools in Oregon, while Henley was the highest-ranked 4A team, in 10th place.

Niche gathered its data from a variety of sources, including the Department of Education, the U.S. Census, parent and student reviews, and algorithms developed by their own data team. Niche gathers data for other rankings as well, including "Best Places to Live" and "Best Colleges."

With a population of about 420 students, Sisters offers football, volleyball, soccer, cross-country, cheerleading, basketball, alpine skiing, Nordic skiing, swimming, wrestling, equestrian, baseball, softball, tennis, track and field, and lacrosse.

"It's cool to see us get recognition like this," said Principal Joe Hosang. "Our programs are healthy thanks to community support and very strong coaching."