Best High Schools In America 2012: Newsweek Releases New Rankings

Where are the best public high schools in America? Newsweek has a whole list of answers with its "1,000 Schools That Made the Grade," released Monday.

More than a quarter that made the list are in or near New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. At the top schools, 91 percent were admitted to college. Students also had a higher average AP score -- 3.4 out of 5, compared with the national 2.8, and tended to come from families with higher incomes than average: 17.5 percent receive free or reduced-price lunches, compared with 40 percent nationally.

To determine the rankings, Newsweek factored in six criteria: the school's four-year gradation rate, college-acceptance rate, number of AP and other high-level exams given per student, average SAT/ACT scores, average AP/college-level test scores and the number of AP courses offered per student. (See full methodology.) From Newsweek:

Nearly 77 percent of the 1,000 admit students through open enrollment, with no admissions restrictions. But many of the highest spots were claimed by selective schools—where students are let in by academic achievement, admissions testing, or lottery—which makes sense given the growth of magnet, charter, and other specialty schools around the country: seven out of the top 10 schools on our list are either charter or magnet.

Those highest-ranking schools share a heavy emphasis on challenging students with college-level academics. At the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, in Bowling Green, Ky.—which came in first place—nearly all courses are university-level: in 2011, the school averaged almost five AP exams per student. Overall, the 6,514 students at the top 10 schools averaged 2.5 AP and similar International Baccalaureate exams per student.

Newsweek's list comes on the heels of U.S. News & World Report's release of its annual high school rankings. But schools like Green Valley High School in Nevada noticed their high rankings were due to errors in data from state and federal education departments.

Scroll through Newsweek's top 15 below, and click through to check out the full list of 1,000 best high schools in America here.

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• 15. Pine View School, Newsweek Score: 1.81

  Osprey, Fla. <a href="http://www.sarasota.k12.fl.us/pvs/" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 14. Uplift Education North Hills Preparatory School, 1.86

  Irving, Texas. <a href="http://www.uplifteducation.org/Domain/147" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 13. Andrew Carnegie Vanguard, 1.94

  Houston, Texas. <a href="http://www.carnegievanguard.com/" target="_hplink">School website. </a>

• 12. School for Advanced Studies, 1.97

  Miami, Fla. <a href="http://www.mdc.edu/main/sas/" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 11. City Honors School at Fosdick-Masten Park, 2.01

  Buffalo, N.Y. <a href="http://www.cityhonors.org/" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 10. Thomas Jefferson for Science and Technology, 2.1

  Alexandria, Va. <a href="http://www.tjhsst.edu/" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 9. Suncoast Community, 2.19

  Riviera Beach, Fla. <a href="http://www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/SuncoastHS/" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 8. Stanton College Preparatory School, 2.33

  Jacsonville, Fla. <a href="http://www.stantoncollegeprep.org/central/" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 7. Signature School, 2.34

  Evansville, Ind. <a href="http://www.signature.edu/" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 6. Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School, 2.37

  Birmingham, Ala. <a href="http://shadesvalleyhigh.jefcoed.com/JCIB/Pages/default.aspx" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 5. Basis Tucson, 2.71

  Tucson, Ariz. <a href="https://www.basisschools.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=127&Itemid=189" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 4. School of Science and Engineering Magnet, 3.15

  Dallas, Texas. <a href="http://semagnetschool.org/" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 3. Basis Scottsdale, 3.23

  Scottsdale, Ariz. <a href="https://www.basisschools.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=126&Itemid=188" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 2. The School for the Talented and Gifted Magnet, 3.33

  Dallas, Texas. <a href="http://teacherweb.com/TX/tagmagnet/main/sdhp1.aspx" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

• 1. The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, 4.51

  Bowling Green, Ky. <a href="http://www.wku.edu/academy/" target="_hplink">School website.</a>

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Comments

[sherdy49]

04:47 AM on 06/23/2012

To the best of my knowledge, every school on this list from my state is in an affluent community. It makes all the difference in the world in a school if there are resources, if there is parental support, and the kids really want to learn and be there. Again, to the best of my knowledge, I didn't see any of our urban, inner city schools on this list. I would like to see a list of the urban schools who are doing it right, rated excellent, and offering a lot to their students, such as vocational programs, etc. College bound doesn't automatically mean success. I think the criteria for this list is extremely short sighted.

[roysandoval]

11:56 AM on 06/08/2012

Of course the real question is: Of the most socio-economically destitute, geographically isolated high schools in the country, which ones made the greatest academic gains? Those folks cannot pick their students, or "sort" them out. Take the same staffs, the same principals, plop them down for a three year test, let the clock run, see how many staff can stay with it, how many leave and in the end, measure the growth. Now this is reality.

[SoxFan1]

04:58 PM on 05/25/2012

Is this list a joke? Where are the St Paul's and Phillips Andover and Exeter. Where are the Private Prep Schools where the wealthy and foreign people send their children and the truly gifted students go? Heck those schools in MA are not even the top HS in MA.

I'm always suspect of these lists as many HS don't respond to the questionnaires sent out for schools to respond. They list Belmont, MA as the top MA HS yet they rank #22 in MA and that's just for public schools.

[MarshallDonnerbauer]

02:31 AM on 08/13/2012

I was thinking a similar thought, but this is a public schools list.

[jsuperconductor]

08:21 PM on 05/24/2012

Yea, about that. Townview in Dallas, it is a MAGNET, so imagine we took the dumbest 95% of kids from your town out behind the barn and shot them, then your high school would be on the list! Townview is a joke, they cannot compete in athletics, or any contests at all because it doesn't really exist, kids are still enrolled at their zoned school and the cream are bussed to Townview so Dallas ISD can appear to remotely accountable, and the kids think they are some hot $h!t, when compared to schools in the burbs 20 miles away, they can barely add and read, but they don't haul off their rejects and place them in the others schools, as DISD does.

[moremoneyfortherich]

03:42 PM on 05/24/2012

not one public school --- take that teacher unions and stuff it

[zagyzebra]

04:21 PM on 05/25/2012

Disputed. My alma mater, Sonora, is on the list. And that is most definitely a public high school.

[irish223]

04:40 PM on 06/08/2012

They're ALL public schools, Einstein!

[TheBear]

06:59 AM on 05/24/2012

H. L. Mencken wrote in The American Mercury for April 1924 that the aim of public education is not to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence. ... Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim ... is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States.

with all this focus on standardized testing and conformaity, it seems this is still true today...will we ever have the courage to turn the system on it's head and give our young people the freedom to think, create and to be a true individual ? No wonder why so many kids hate school.

[maddiemom]

06:11 PM on 05/22/2012

Be nice to know where these schools are located if not obvious by their names. What IS obvious is that many are private schools. Many of the schools are located in areas where there were massive, nationwide teacher recruitment efforts over the 1990's and 2000's.

[skeptically doubtful]

02:35 AM on 05/23/2012

The Newsweek (and the US News & World Report) rankings are for PUBLIC schools only. They say the school has to be open to EVERYONE. There are no private schools listed on the Newsweek Best Schools list.

[maddiemom]

12:30 PM on 05/23/2012

Private schools ARE open to everyone who has the tuition and, often, the connections.

[grammasher]

05:48 PM on 05/22/2012

Ranking schools serves no useful purpose. My question is, "How do these wonderful schools deal with those unmotivated students or those who have learning or emotional disabilities?" Or, are those students not allowed in their schools? It's easy to teach and be successful when you're only dealing with the best and the brightest. I'm looking for the school that deals with a complete cross section of students. If these schools can take in students with issues and succeed, then I will believe they're excellent schools.

[Megandale]

08:13 AM on 05/23/2012

My high school is number 281, and I only speak for my school. We had bright students, and students with learning disabilities. Every child from Allendale (my town) and Upper Saddle River were able to attend. It was a really great experience!

[Intelligentlifeintexas]

05:33 PM on 05/22/2012

Not a valid list. Some schools not on this list simply because they never turned in their scores. This is a worthless ranking. And shame on all those involved for trying to pass it off as legitimate. Go to US News for a more accurate outcome. They looked at All schools. Not just the high schools that turned in their scores. Dribble.

[skeptically doubtful]

02:38 AM on 05/23/2012

I'm not sure about that listing either. There are a few really terrific schools in my city with very high scores on tests and high rates of everything, yet they are not listed AT ALL on the list, citing "N/A" for many of the criteria. If they look at ALL schools, then certainly they should be able to find all of the great information and data on these three schools that is widely known and available for anyone with fingers and an internet connection.

[Mr Anonymous]

02:16 PM on 05/22/2012

We need to care about the worst schools.

[bozoboi]

03:20 PM on 05/22/2012

and it is weird that the worst are all in these states...makes on wonder how money is being dispersed

[artgurrl]

01:49 PM on 05/22/2012

Let's see, most are private schools, most likely with large endowments from wealthy alumni and high tuition costs which goes to the classroom and not as much to administration (unlike public schools). In addition the class sizes are probably very small compared to those in public schools in poor urban or rural districts. So the rich can throw lots of money at their kids education but when it comes to public schools their meme is that throwing money at education doesn't work. Give me a break already.

[Michi chi]

01:41 PM on 05/22/2012

In our area it starts even earlier. The only public schools to make it are the selective enrollment (ok one other made it, the one with a stellar IB program). Most of those schools have a large percentage of the class coming from selective enrollment or top magnet elementary schools. So really the frenzy is to get your child into one of those at kindergarten to ensure their path.
Magnets are a true lottery so in that sense they are "fair" but what is not fair is that they siphon the money that could be spent improving all the schools and give it to the priveleged few who were able to lottery in. Those schools have everything they could want or need, the other schools have to fight for even what little they were promised. Is it any wonder fewer kids from the basic schools have even a fighting chance for a high school slot?

[forestlady]

01:20 PM on 05/22/2012

I don't understand why so many here think these are only public schools. When I looked through the list of top 15, they all look like private schools to me, i.e. when they have a name of Academy or Prep School, those are top of the range tuition only private schools.

[Tomilya Simmons]

05:03 PM on 05/22/2012

well i know for sure school for advanced studies (which is #12) isn't a private school seeing as how I attend there, and quite honestly, it is a very great school with a great staff who give us a rigorous courseload

[skeptically doubtful]

02:41 AM on 05/23/2012

My son goes to an "Academy" and it most certainly is NOT a private school. It's a public school. I'm pretty sure the list says that the schools have to be open to everyone, i.e, private schools are not open to everyone, they're not on this list.

[stopnlisten]

11:39 AM on 05/22/2012

Private magnet schools. I am so surprised.....geez.

[grayshrimp]

11:37 AM on 05/22/2012

Yay!! Go Dallas! I'm proud to say I know a couple kids who attend TAG and SEM. I'm so proud of them! And I'm so glad that for once, Dallas is not on of one of the negative lists!! (like pollution and traffic! lol)