<p>Many of the kids in the other forums often list their respective high schools are #1, #2, etc.....</p>
<p>Is there really a National rank of high schools? If so, where?</p>
<p>I am familiar with the Wall Street Journal artical ran last Spring, in which high schools were ranked according to their success in sending kids to the Ivies -(I think it was posted on CC).</p>
<p>But, it seems that is a USNews HS rank out there somewhere. Is this true?</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure that a lot of kids refer to a "ranking" which was published a few years ago which ranked high schools by the number of AP exams taken per graduating senior. I don't have the list, nor do I think I ever even saw it, except to hear from school administrators with pride that our school was ranked quite competitively.</p>
<p>There was a lot of backlash in relation to that ranking because of variables (certain prep schools don't give AP exams, differing district policies with regards to who may take the exams, only counting numbers of exams and not performance, etc), and I'm surprised that it's still so widespread.</p>
<p>I agree that it seems to be based on the article by Jay Matthews that appeared in Newsweek a couple of years ago. I'm not sure, however, if it was based on the number of AP exams taken or scores received; merely that schools offered AP classes.</p>
<p>What is the "Worth Magazine" article that I'm reading about when searching on this topic?</p>
<p>Worth magazine analyzed which schools were most successful at sending kids to HYP. A couple of obvious methodology flaws (what a surprise - Princeton High School, which educates all the Princeton faculty kids, was quite well ranked), but it makes for interesting reading. Assuming, of course, that you think that HYP are the end-all and be-all for a high school program.</p>
<p>Yes I think it was the Newsweek article from a couple of years ago. The ranking was based solely on number of AP tests taken (not scores). </p>
<p>Locally it was controversial - one local high school with a longstanding national reputation was ranked lower than another local high school - school #2 had much looser requirements for students who wanted to take AP classes -- in most cases, a student could just sign up and take whatever AP class they wanted. In school #1, there were prereqs for AP courses: minimum grade, teacher rec, etc., and thus fewer students took AP's. </p>
<p>I thought the ranking was pretty silly. At the very least, the average AP score achieved would have been helpful, but relying on AP tests alone doesn't really speak to the overall educational quality of a school.</p>
<p>Does anyone have the Worth article saved? The Newsweek article doesn't seem interesting if it was only based on APs.</p>
<p>There are rankings or "New Exclusive Rankings: the best 243 public high schools" in the book, CLASS STRUGGLES: What's Wrong (and Right) with America's Best Public High Schools, by Jay Mathews, originally published in hardcover by Times Books, a division of Random House Inc., in 1998.</p>
<p>Jay Mathews, of course, is the Education reporter for the Washington Post and a graduate of Harvard College, after transferring to study East Asian History, from Occidental College in California. He has a daughter who is now a student at Pomona College, who he chronicled in her college search, and a son who is also a journalist and a Harvard College graduate. </p>
<p>This book has appeared in paperback with updated lists of his rankings. Jay has also published several books after this one. However, his prior publications to CLASS STRUGGLE, include, ONE BILLION:A CHINA CHRONICLE (with Linda Mathews), ESCALANTE:THE BEST TEACHERS IN AMERICA, and A MOTHER"S TOUCH:THE TIFFANY CALLO STORY.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>Does anyone have either of their articles saved? <<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>Here is the Worth Magazine article in its entirety for everyone's review.</p>
<p>Please click on:</p>
<p><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20021112225416/http://www.worth.com/content_articles/display/articles.cfm?id=04,FTVY*%3c7!R+B;VEQ?NF%22@++%0a&tid=">http://web.archive.org/web/20021112225416/http://www.worth.com/content_articles/display/articles.cfm?id=04,FTVY*%3c7!R+B;VEQ?NF%22@++%0a&tid=</a>
Worth magazine </p>
<p>Here are excerpts from the Introduction of this article:</p>
<p>Getting Inside the Ivy Gates </p>
<p>By Reshma Memon Yaqub September 2002, Worth Magazine </p>
<p>[What all parents need to know about getting their children into America's most elite colleges: Worth ranks the high schools that send the most students to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton</p>
<p>View the Top 100 Feeder Schools
View the Top 50 Public Schools (By State) </p>
<p>Two generations ago, the key to getting into an elite college was a diploma from the right prep school. If you wanted to go to Harvard, you attended Andover; if you wanted to go to Yale, you attended Exeter. The heads of prestigious high schools such as these would sit down with the college deans of admissions and, voil</p>
<p>I tossed out the Worth article because for me it was .....worthless! But now I am sorry I did, as I see some others might have found it interesting/useful.</p>
<p>I always find it interesting to see what others school are doing and what results they realize. But, I now see that the article is from 2002, so it's pretty outdated and useless at this point. I thought it was more recent.</p>
<p>It is foolish to discount any study that's in the public domain for viewing. One has to appreciate each study for its merits based on the way the study was done, and not to discount it as "worthless". It is DEFINITELY not worthless for THE EDUCATED CONSUMER. This study is invaluable to many, including the educated consumer, as a parent of a college bound student. Do not trivialize any study with unfounded biases, but critique it with facts.</p>
<p>newsweek apparently ranks every year. While my daughters high school does have a large portion of AP classes, I believe the most in the state in a public school even more than Bellevue which made the cover, I don't consider AP classes necessary for an academic education.
It is true that colleges want you to take most rigorous courses, but a course can be rigorous without it being a prep for a test.
I don't think the college board should be dictating what is taught in our schools, and you can't judge a schools quality by how many students take AP tests.
We chose my daughters high school because of the teacher enthusiasm and parent participation ( and that her friends are attending;) ), not because of the AP classes.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>I always find it interesting to see what others school are doing and what results they realize. But, I now see that the article is from 2002, so it's pretty outdated and useless at this point. I thought it was more recent <<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>The RELATIVE numbers and stats that these schools have in 2002 in the Worth Mag study, may change some, but the RELATIVE RANKINGS have changed very littlle since the study. I do agree that there needs to be a follow-up with new numbers, but the rankings have not changed much. Rankings are based on a 4 year study of the matriculation lists and the percentage in each graduating class, of the top public and private high schools in the nation, who matriculate at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton only. One could infer from this data that the highest ranked schools would also send its students to the rest of the Ivies and the top elites in the same pecking order.</p>
<p>Again, you may disagree with the methodology of the study, but you should say what you disagree with and why. </p>
<p>The number one ranked school is Roxbury-Latin School in West Roxbury, Mass. which was founded in the early 1600s. It is a most highly selective private day prep school. It is considered the oldest and longest operating educational institution in America, predating Harvard College. It has the Dean of Harvard College on its Board of Trustees today and it has educated Presidents of Harvard College in the past. There are many reasons why it ranks number one in its percentage of graduates (not in absolute numbers) matriculating at HYP, easpecially Harvard College. It is very small and it routinely gets over 50% to 60% of its grads into the 8 Ivies (20% into Harvard alone in previous years) and as many as 70% to 90% of its grads into the US NEWS & WORLD REPORT Top Ten lists of National Research Universities and the Top Ten Liberal Arts Colleges each year.</p>
<p>No other high school can claim this record, but schools such as the Collegiate School, Brearley School and Spence School for girls, Trinity School, Dalton School, Nightengale-Bamford School, and Horace Mann School may come close. Also include the small private day prep, Winsor School, in Boston. These are the most competitive and MOST SELECTIVE private day preps in NYC with less than 10% acceptance rates. They have the pick of the most talented and stellar students in all of NYC, including the most talented URMs in their diversity agendas, even more so than the nationally and internationally oriented elite New England boarding prep schools, such as Andover, Exeter, St. Paul's, Milton, Groton, Choate, Taft or Lawrenceville. Many of these schools have already preselected their students before they come into these high schools, with pre-existing hooks for admissions to HYP, the Ivies and the elites colleges. These hooks include the preferences given to legacies, rich and famous VIPS, qualified URMs (who are few in numbers), athletes in Ivy sports such as crew, lacrosse, swimming, tennis, racquet ball, gymnastics, and ice hockey, collectively popular among white students in the preps, and even football and basketball. The majority of football and basketball players players in the Ivies are white. The best football recruiits in the nation cannot qualify for the Ivies academically and they go to the Big Ten, Pac Ten or the SEC where academic standards are much lower. These nationally ranked athletes in basketball and football do not graduate from college after matriculation.</p>
<p>Of interest, the most highly ranked public high school in the nation is the public magnet school, Hunter College High School, in NYC. This school graduates less than 200 students a year, and has over 60% of its class as National Merit Semi-Finalists. No other school, public or private, comes close with NMSFs in percentages. It also has a senior SAT I average of close to 1450, similar to the private Brearley School and the Collegiate School in NYC. These schools have the profile of an Ivy college. No other school, public or private, comes close. Hunter College High School is the most stellar academic public high school in America. It is also 40% Asian American. It ranks higher than the prestigious public NYC magnet, Stuyvesant HS which is 51% Asian American.</p>
<p>P.S. The WSJ study, "College Planning: The Price of Admission", and its rankings were similar to Worth's rankings, but there were differences. You will need a paid subscription to access this archived study. I have corresponded with its author, Ms. Bernstein, when her article first appeared and she said that there will be a follow-up study on the WSJ study.</p>
<p>worth magazine concluded that the top 20 schools based on percentages of graduates going to HYP are:
<a href="http://www.polytechnic.org/thepawprint/hyplist.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.polytechnic.org/thepawprint/hyplist.htm</a></p>
<p>there used to be a site which listed the top 100 schools and top 50 public schools but it's no longer available. the highest ranked public school is hunter college in NY (26th).</p>
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<blockquote> <p>there used to be a site which listed the top 100 schools and top 50 public schools but it's no longer available. the highest ranked public school is hunter college in NY (26th). <<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>I just gave you the site. The entire lists are available. </p>
<p>View the Top 100 Feeder Schools
View the Top 50 Public Schools (By State) </p>
<p>Worth magazine: Getting Inside the Ivy Gates </p>
<p>Here is the Worth Magazine article in its entirety again for everyone's review.</p>
<p>Please click on:</p>
<p>You could paste the above web address onto your browser and you will find the article and the lists.</p>
<p>I think that's extremely skewed towards smaller schools. Usually the percentage tends to be higher for a small school, but those schools tend to be less diverse.</p>
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<blockquote> <p>I think that's extremely skewed towards smaller schools. Usually the percentage tends to be higher for a small school, but those schools tend to be less diverse. <<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>Your statement is false. It is quite the opposite. These top private smaller prep schools in the rankings are much more diverse in race and economic class than your average top ranked public suburban high schools, which don't even rank in the top 50. An example is Millburn High School, in NJ, ranked #90, Scarsdale HS in NY, ranked #80, or Bronxville HS, in Bronxville, NY, ranked #89. These 3 schools are in some of the most affluent suburbs in the nation, consisting of mainly upper middle class white students in these areas.. They are larger than most of the higher ranked private day preps or boarding preps, but their student bodies, which reflect their suburbs, are in no shape or form, as diverse as the top private preps, both day and boarding preps. These private day and boarding preps have a much broader cachment area for their students and because of their high endowments, also have a broader range in racial and economic diversity, by offerring aide to its stellar disadvantaged students. For example, Andover is need-blind today. 40% of its students are on financial aide. There are disadvantaged students at Andover who receive a full ride monetarily, plus travel expenses for the student and for family visits to campus. There are no public schools that can compete with these smaller private preps, except for the public magnet schools in NYC and in Fairfax County, Virginia. There is simply no competition from the public schools for "diversity" coupled with academic excellence. This is another reason many of these private preps are given the label as "feeder schools" into HYP, the Ivies, and the elite colleges of America. This is a fact of life. The extent to which these preps remain as feeders may have changed since WW II, when over 90% of their grads went to HYP alone, but these top feeders STILL REMAIN FEEDERS TODAY. Today, the top boarding preps may send only 30% of its grads to the Ivies, and the remainder to the highly selective colleges, but these percentages still remain the highest of all high schools in America. No public school in America can say that it sends 30% of its grads to the Ivies, regardless of its size. That was the main point in this study</p>
<p>Another class of high school are the public magnet schools, which are tuition free, drawing its students from the entire city of NY, with entrance based on merit and an exam for for admission. The highest ranked public magnet schools include #26 Hunter College High School in NYC (see my previous post), or Stuyvesant HS in NYC. #71 ranked Thomas Jefferson HS for Technology and Science, in Fairfax County, Va. is another example of a public magnet school. Again, Stuyvesant is 51% Asian American, with whites as a minority (and that is certainly diversity), whereas Hunter College HS and Thomas Jefferson HS are about 40% Asian American. Another example is the renowned Bronx HS of Science, producers of 5 Nobel Prize winners, which is 45% Asian American.</p>
<p>Indredible college placement. Many do not post their numbers, but </p>
<p><a href="http://www.andover.edu/cco/matrics.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.andover.edu/cco/matrics.htm</a></p>
<p>Just reflects money and connections. You could put them all together at Podunk Vocational in Arkansas and they'd do about as well.</p>