<p>Oh, yes, our little Toledo public finally made the top 100. Can I say we're competitive now?</p>
<p>Best</a> High Schools: Gold Medal List - US News and World Report</p>
<p>Your high school was competitive BEFORE. It will be competitive AFTER US News rotates some other schools onto this list. As much as I dislike the college rankings I absolutely despise this list.</p>
<p>As last year, no high school in my state made it into the top 100.</p>
<p>Well all the special city schools (bronx sci, stuy, brooklyn tech etc) + greeley (next town over from us) made the list. Maybe in a few more years.</p>
<p>We have always been a competitive school. Because we're small and in the middle of nowhere, colleges don't seem to notice us. We only get an edge at some of the colleges within our state. We'll see if this makes any difference in admissions at more competitive colleges, but I won't hold my breath.</p>
<p>Our school has gone from sub-50 to unranked in less than 3 years - absolutely nothing has changed about it, save one or two faculty coming/going.</p>
<p>Given that AP score average seems to be a big component, my DD school will never make it - they open AP classes to all kids who want to take them, with the requirement that they have to take the AP test at the end. Seems like the way to make this list is to have a few kids as possible take the test - only those who will do very well...</p>
<p>Stupid list (even though D's school is on it). Almost the entire ranking system is based on APs and IBs. How does that necessarily correlate into better academics?</p>
<p>^ like US News ratings were ever credible. They're all BS. 90 percent of what is on that magazine is a lie.</p>
<p>It all depends on the methodology:
[quote]
This was done by computing a "college readiness index" based on the weighted average of the AP and/or IB participation rate (the number of 12th-grade students who took at least one AP and/or IB test before or during their senior year, divided by the number of 12th graders) along with how well the students did on those tests.
[/quote]
This is the approach pioneered by Jay Matthews of the Wash Post.</p>
<p>So, if you believe the AP test ratio is the best way to rank HS, then go ahead and believe these rankings. If you, don't, then ignore them.</p>
<p>I believe Jay Matthew's belief is that AP/IB classes should be open to anyone who wants to take them, not just limited to G&T students or honors students or students who have taken pre-AP/IB classes. That is why schools that have more students (as a % of graduating class size) in AP/IB classes end up ranking higher.</p>
<p>The argument against letting anyone into these classes is that, inevitably, you end up with kids in the class who don't belong there and that makes it more difficult for the kids who do belong to really get the advanced/college level learning that the class is supposed to provide.</p>