CITY COLLEGE is reclaiming its stature as an incubator for college-bound students. This is an achievement to be savored, not just by the public high school's visionary leaders and high-profile alumni, but by all who care about the future of Baltimore.

Excellent public schools give families reasons to stay in the city. And families with children aspiring to higher education form a core population that Baltimore should be fighting to keep.

To restore academic prestige that had waned, Principal Joseph Wilson and the school's extended family held themselves and the students to high standards.

Mr. Wilson planted the seed by introducing and cultivating a rigorous curriculum and degree program, in addition to advanced placement courses. He told students to make the grade or give up extracurricular activities. Meanwhile, prominent alumni and city officials ensured during the last seven years that City would get funds needed to make improvements.

The harvest is evident in Sun reporter Liz Bowie's recent article: For the first time in at least a decade, City's incoming freshman class has been filled with students who meet the school's challenging entrance requirements. They are coming from nonpublic as well as city schools. Word's out that City is a springboard to prestigious colleges.

About 90 percent of City's graduates are headed for four-year institutions. Among these achievers are a number whose families qualified for free or reduced-price lunch programs - almost 40 percent of City's enrollment fit that income category this year, according to state records. Yet there is no poverty of expectations or opportunity here, and that is a critical component of success.

Over the years, some have tried to twist City's pursuit of excellence into a tale of privilege reserved for a small set of students creamed from area middle schools. But this story is not about elitism, it is about hard work and zealous leadership and belief in the role of public education in helping a city regenerate itself.

In coming months, as Baltimore officials take aim at the city's nine less-advantaged neighborhood high schools with the help of $20 million in Gates Foundation and local grants, the blueprint behind City's renewal should remain foremost in their minds. Real reform happens where there is unwavering commitment to high standards.