In addition to America’s Best colleges and Best Global Universities the US News also produces rankings of high schools. The latest edition shows that excellence in secondary education is widespread with top scoring schools located in states that are not known for elite universities. The rankings are based entirely on student quality and performance and diversity.
The methodology is based on the following indicators:
College readiness (30%); students taking AP or IB exams
Math and reading proficiency (20%); aggregate scores from state assessments
Math and reading performance (20%); scores relative to expected scores based on racial and class distribution
Underserved student performance (10%); scores on state assessments of minority and low-income students
College curriculum breadth (10%); scores in AP or IB exams in multiples areas
Graduation rate (10%).
The top ten schools are:
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Virginia
- Academic Magnet High School, South Carolina
- Davidson Academy of Nevada
- Payton College Preparatory High School, Illinois
- School for Advanced Studies, Florida
- Sumner Academy of Arts and Science, Kansas
- Merrol Hyde Magnet School, Tennessee
- BASIS Chandler, Arizona
- Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Georgia
- Signature School, Indiana.
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