NEW YORK – Newsweek, announced this week the results of the 2015 High School Rankings, created in partnership with Westat.
In the Dallas area, four schools made “America’s Top High Schools,” they were Highland Park, Plano Senior High, Coppell High School and Flower Mound High School. Seven schools made “Beating the Odds”, including Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Collegiate Academy. In Texas, 30 schools made “America’s Top High Schools” and 45 schools made “Beating the Odds.”
The rankings include a list of “America’s Top High Schools” which identifies 500 public high schools nationwide that excel at preparing students for college as well as “Beating the Odds,” a list of 500 public high schools doing an exceptional job of preparing students from disadvantaged backgrounds for college.
“America’s Top High Schools” identifies top 500 schools by measuring factors including graduation rate, college enrollment rate, SAT and ACT scores and participation, AP/IB scores and participation, full time counselors to students ratio, dropout rate, enrollment in college courses during high school and state test scores. “Beating the Odds” ranks schools on all the above measures but also accounts for the effects of social inequality on education by factoring in student poverty as reflected by eligibility for free/reduced price lunches.
“Newsweek’s High School Rankings are exceptional because of the many factors we take into consideration when selecting top schools as well as our look at inequality when it comes to education. We have unique insight into what public schools across the country are doing to prepare their students for college, which is a critical next step for graduating teens,” said Jim Impoco, Editor in Chief of Newsweek. “Our analysis looks at a broad range of criteria and sheds light on schools that are setting the bar high for their students and helping them to succeed in the next chapter of their education.”
Leading the Top 500 High Schools list:
- Thomas Jefferson High (Alexandria, VA)
- High Technology High School (Lincroft, NJ)
- Academy for Mathematics Science and Engineering (Rockaway, NJ)
- Union County Magnet High School (Scotch Plains, NJ)
- Bergen County Academies (Hackensack, NJ)
- Gretchen Whitney High (Cerritos, CA)
- Middlesex County Academy for Math Science & Engineering (Edison, NJ)
- International Academy (Bloomfield Hills, MI)
- Academy of Allied Health and Science (Neptune, NJ)
- Payton College Preparatory HS (Chicago, IL)
Leading the Top 500 High Schools that are “Beating the Odds”:
- Success Academy (Cedar City, UT)
- Northside College Preparatory HS (Chicago, IL)
- Transmountain Early College HS (El Paso, TX)
- The Brooklyn Latin School (Brooklyn, NY)
- West St. John High School (Edgard, LA)
- Townsend Harris High School (Flushing, NY)
- Payton College Preparatory HS (Chicago, IL)
- Hollis F. Price Middle College High School (Memphis, TN)
- San Gabriel High (San Gabriel, CA)
- Valley View HS (Pharr, TX)
The full lists can be found online at: http://www.newsweek.com/high-schools/americas-top-high-schools-2015
