America's Best High Schools Methodology
How we got from 21,069 public high schools to the top 100
Reader Comments
international student
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education
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What about schools that do not offer AP?
It would seem that high schools that do not offer Advanced Placement courses do not qualify. Do I have this right? If so, where does this leave specialized high schools (technical, performing arts, etc.) whose students are not on a conventional path to college and career? Should readers assume that none of these qualify to be counted among the nation's "best"?
My daughter is enrolled in a competitive public school in Queens, NY, run by Bard College (Bard High School Early College). Students there do university level coursework in lieu of AP and graduate with both a high school diploma and an Associate's Degree. She is happy and thriving, and she's getting a top-notch education. Such a school deserves to be ranked alongside the rest, as do all the others that do not meet your rigid criteria.
I would like to see a more comprehensive assessment that includes untraditional and pioneering public high schools, so that excellent work being done there can be recognized, as well.
incomplete
Some high schools offer college courses taught at a local college, by college instructors, for college credit that will transfer to any other college. This methodology does not give any consideration to these schools. Isn't it better to take and pass a college course than to take a college equivalent course for which the student may or may not receive any college credit.
Methodology
The calculation of the top 100 high schools should also include Cambridge's AICE program. This program is just as good, if not better, than the IB program. Students completing high school with the AICE diploma set themselves up nicely for post-secondary success.
Newsweek has the right idea.. US News does not.
Why would US News factor economic conditions into the equation when calculating best schools? US News 3-step process in evaluating schools is 2/3rds flawed. There are districts in the US News top 100 which have 1 percent economically disadvantaged or least-advantaged students. Thus, when a few disadvantaged students perform well, US News incorrectly ranks the school as one of the best. This methodology completely undermines the list.
It's a shame because people do search on best schools in the country and this flawed list comes up. Thankfully, NewsWeek comes up on searches too. It provides a list of the top 1500 high schools. Speaking of which, their methodology takes an objective look at schools based on college readiness, AP courses and other measurable data. It takes an educated person to appreciate an objective review of schools…
Questionable methodology
Calling the schools that comes out from this screening process as BEST schools are misleading. It should be labeled as something else but not BEST high schools.
You robbed the real BEST schools of the recognition they deserve and falsely called undeserving schools as BEST.
USNEWS should be impartial and factual.
Elmhurst rocks!
Elmhurst High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is a little gem. It isn't the largest school in the city, or the school with the best sports teams--but it served me well. Just like many of my former Elmhurst classmates, I'm a first-generation college grad.
Questions.
Is there a reason students taking 4+ AP/IB tests during or before senior year wasn't involved in the ranking? OR even 5+ tests? Why was the limit at 1? I have seen other rankings that take the total AP/IB tests taken for the senior class divided by the number of seniors and the results are much, much different.
Also, in regards to comparing standarized test scores with the average state values, wouldn't this disregard many schools coming from states that out-perform other states that are academically equal to some of the schools on this list? Should a state as a whole see less of its schools on this list merely because its average as a whole is significantly larger?
