- Nearly 1800 high schools recognized nationwide -

 

 

 

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News Media Group, further expanding its annual ranking of high schools, today released its third edition of America's Best High Schools, available online at www.usnews.com/highschools and on newsstands starting Tuesday, December 29.

 

To produce the 2010 rankings, which are based on an in-depth methodology created by School Evaluation Services, more than 22,000 high schools were analyzed for inclusion, resulting in the recognition of nearly 1800 schools in 48 states* and the District of Columbia. The America's Best High Schools are categorized in one of four categories: Gold, Silver, Bronze or Honorable Mention.

 

America's Best High Schools includes schools offering students a range of educational opportunities, including access to college-level coursework, and more importantly, schools whose students are demonstrating mastery of the coursework, benefiting their work towards higher education.

 

"The 2010 America's Best High Schools package is our most comprehensive to date, including notably more rankings and in-depth editorial to help families research and select the best high schools for their children," said Brian Kelly, Editor of U.S. News. "With U.S. News Best High Schools, parents can explore and understand the many options for public high schools-- including charter and magnate -- and compare data to see which best fit their children's needs."

 

A high school is recognized as a top school if it:

1. Attains performance levels that exceed statistical expectations given the school's student body, as measured by state accountability test scores for all the school's students in the core subjects of reading and math;
2. Achieves proficiency rates on state tests for their least advantaged student groups that exceed state averages; and
3. Prepares its students for college, as measured by student participation in and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams.

 

The 100 top-performing high schools were given a distinction of "Gold" and are listed numerically. The remaining 461 schools meeting all three criteria have been designated "Silver" high schools.

 

Additionally, 1189 high schools were identified as "Bronze" schools for their performance on state tests. These Bronze high schools met the first two criteria of this methodology but did not meet the college-readiness criteria based on AP or IB exams. While AP and IB are by far the most widely used college-level programs in the country, there are schools that focus on providing students with access to alternative college-level programs. Finally, 37 schools received an "honorable mention" distinction, which recognizes schools that were able to achieve high levels of college readiness but only partially met state test performance criteria.

 

For a complete list of America's Best High Schools and the methodology, visit www.usnews.com/highschools. Answers to Frequently Asked Questions can also be found at www.usnews.com/highschoolsfaq.

 

*Note: The state of Nebraska and Oklahoma did not have sufficient data available for analysis. Schools in these states were considered for honorable mention but none of them met the criteria.

 

About the U.S. News Media Group

The U.S. News Media Group is a multi-platform digital publisher of news and analysis, which includes the monthly U.S. News & World Report magazine, the digital-only U.S. News Weekly magazine, www.usnews.com, and www.rankingsandreviews.com. Focusing on Health, Money & Business, Education, and Public Service/Opinion, the U.S. News Media Group has earned a reputation as the leading provider of service news and information that improves the quality of life of its readers. The U.S. News Media Group's signature franchises include its News You Can Use® brand of journalism and its "America's Best" series of consumer guides that include rankings of colleges, graduate schools, hospitals, health plans, and more.

 

 

 

SOURCE U.S. News Media Group

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