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Best High Schools: State by State Statistics

Posted December 4, 2008

Rank	State	Number of High Schools*	Number Eligible for Full analysis	Awarded Bronze or Better	Bronze or Better (% of total high Schools)	Awarded Silver or Gold	Silver or Gold (% of total High Schools)
1	Massachusetts	338	246	44	13.0%	29	8.6%
2	Connecticut	231	138	21	9.1%	16	6.9%
3	Vermont**	61	38	5	n.a.	3	6.6%
4	California	1,999	858	209	10.5%	126	6.3%
5	Virginia	317	223	45	14.2%	18	5.7%
6	New Jersey	390	305	41	10.5%	20	5.4%
6	Rhode Island	56	29	7	12.5%	3	5.4%
8	Maine	120	72	15	12.5%	6	5.0%
8	Ohio**	821	358	87	n.a.	41	5.0%
8	Illinois	782	269	71	9.1%	39	5.0%
11	New York	987	643	105	10.6%	48	4.9%
12	Nevada	109	53	12	11.0%	5	4.6%
13	Maryland**	257	168	24	n.a.	11	4.3%
14	New Hampshire	79	56	12	15.2%	3	3.8%
15	Colorado	323	140	29	9.0%	11	3.4%
16	Florida	875	362	47	5.4%	28	3.2%
17	Pennsylvania	679	357	65	9.6%	21	3.1%
17	Kentucky	229	145	33	14.4%	7	3.1%
19	Arizona	454	121	45	9.9%	13	2.9%
20	South Carolina	212	136	19	9.0%	6	2.8%
21	Washington	591	193	46	7.8%	16	2.7%
22	Oregon	299	96	31	10.4%	7	2.3%
23	Michigan	926	305	74	8.0%	20	2.2%
24	Delaware	49	26	3	6.1%	1	2.0%
25	North Carolina	478	313	41	8.6%	9	1.9%
26	New Mexico	171	45	19	11.1%	3	1.8%
27	Texas	1,829	665	151	8.3%	32	1.7%
28	Minnesota	798	155	48	6.0%	13	1.6%
29	Indiana	410	221	29	7.1%	6	1.5%
30	Louisiana	366	44	39	10.7%	5	1.4%
30	Arkansas	293	157	40	13.7%	4	1.4%
32	Utah	229	70	13	5.7%	3	1.3%
33	Tennessee	370	134	29	7.8%	4	1.1%
33	Wisconsin	557	221	58	10.4%	6	1.1%
35	Idaho	192	44	23	12.0%	2	1.0%
35	Alabama	388	69	54	13.9%	4	1.0%
35	Georgia	393	262	26	6.6%	4	1.0%
38	Missouri	579	40	41	7.1%	5	0.9%
39	West Virginia	143	58	19	13.3%	1	0.7%
40	South Dakota	168	18	15	8.9%	1	0.6%
40	Kansas	350	59	36	10.3%	2	0.6%
42	Iowa**	427	65	51	n.a.	2	0.5%
no gold or silver	Alaska	241	22	12	5.0%	0	0.0%
no gold or silver	Hawaii	60	34	8	13.3%	0	0.0%
no gold or silver	Mississippi	243	61	36	14.8%	0	0.0%
no gold or silver	Montana	170	26	19	11.2%	0	0.0%
no gold or silver	North Dakota	143	11	21	14.7%	0	0.0%
no gold or silver	Wyoming**	87	14	7	n.a.	0	0.0%
not part of rankings	District of Columbia***	37	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
not part of rankings	Nebraska***	294	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
not part of rankings	Oklahoma***	469	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.	n.a.
	Totals	21,069	8,145	1,925	9.1%	604	2.9%

* Number of schools that, at a minimum, served grade 12, and thus could be expected to award high school diplomas ** States for which student subgroup data were not available for statewide analysis. In each case, schools identified through step 1 were then evaluated on step 3, and the resulting list was then subjected to a by-hand screen of step 2 data using the state's online report card for these schools. *** States for which there was not sufficient state data available for steps 1 and 2 for statewide analysis. Step 3 was still evaluated for the determination of Honorable Mention status.

Tags: high school

Reader Comments

Additional Information Absolutely Needed...

If you look at the sheer number of schools that California is judged on this is part of it. There are 1999 schools here and the only other state that comes close is Texas. We are from California and have been living in Georgia for almost two years now. Obviously you can see where Georgia is ranked.

California does have some excellent schools, but it all depends on where you live. Southern California is almost like a whole other state compared to Northern California. When we moved from California to Georgia my son was an entire year ahead in what he was learning compared to what they were teaching in Georgia.

We had a lot of comments from other people that the public schools in Northern Metro Atlanta were excellent. Some of them are, but you really have to do in depth research. We found our definition of "excellent" is much different than others.

Jennifer of GA
Nov 12, 2009 19:04:36 PM [permalink] [report comment]

California public schools

I agree with Teresa from CA! We just moved here from PA and are mortified by the schools here. We bought a home in one of the best ranked San Diego school districts and feel so betrayed. If this is the "best" I can only imagine what the rest of the county is like. We have children in elementary, junior high and high school so I have been exposed to all levels of public school here and they are all awful! There are no gifted programs or opportunities for students who want to work at an accelerated pace, the teachers are sub par and accept low class averages without feeling accountable and when students do poorly they don't go back and re-teach. Much of what my children are being "taught " they already learned in previous years in PA. What a let down this has been!

Eileen of CA
Nov 12, 2009 14:07:57 PM [permalink] [report comment]

California School are rated #that high?!?!

You've got to be kidding?!? We just moved to California from Wyoming & my kids are a grade level ahead of everyone here. The schools here are in total state of disrepair & some of the class sizes are so large, it's ridiculous. It makes you wonder how they ranked these states?!? What did they must have done for California is include wealthy CA schools from Beverly hills because the rest of the states schools are in crisis... just ask anyone who lives here.

Teresa of CA
Oct 30, 2009 17:48:19 PM [permalink] [report comment]

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