U.S. News Releases 2013 Best High Schools Rankings
Several public schools made significant gains, shaking up the top 10 in this year’s rankings.
April 23, 2013 RSS Feed Print
The Best High Schools rankings factor in academic performance among black, Hispanic and low-income students.
The importance of a strong high school education cannot be overstated.
Good schools challenge students academically, while giving them ample opportunity to explore their interests. This combination can set teens up to succeed long after graduation. By contrast, subpar schools can leave students struggling to make the transition from high school to college or the workforce.
The 2013 Best High Schools rankings, released today, can help parents wade through the ever expanding options of public high schools. U.S. News collected data on more than 21,000 public high schools from 49 states and the District of Columbia. (Nebraska did not report enough data to be included in the rankings.)
[View the 2013 Best High Schools rankings.]
U.S. News joined forces with the American Institutes for Research, a D.C.-based organization, to evaluate schools on overall student performance on state-mandated assessments, as well as how effectively schools educated their black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students. Performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams was then used to determine the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work.
Schools were ranked within each state, as well as on a national stage, so families can see how their public high school stacked up against rivals within the community and across the country. In the national rankings, 500 schools earned gold medals, 1,790 were awarded silver and 2,515 took home bronze.
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