The rankings are in! Every year, U.S. News & World Report, the Washington Post, and Newsweek rank public high schools across the nation. Despite public charter schools making up only 6 percent of public high schools nationwide, they have been historically well represented on these lists, and 2013 is no exception.
The table below presents the public charter schools that were ranked in the top 100 on at least one of the lists, as well as the public charter schools ranked in Newsweek’s top 25 Transformative Schools list. Five public charter schools were listed in the top 100 on the three major lists: Peak to Peak Charter School, Signature School Incorporated, Uplift Education – North Hills Preparatory High School, Westlake Academy, and the American Indian Public High School, which was also ranked as the second best Transformative School in the nation. The U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools list had 28 public charter schools in the top 100, up from 17 last year. The report also ranked three public charters in the top 10. The Washington Post’s Most Challenging High Schools list also put 28 public charter schools in their top 100, and four in their top 10. In Newsweek’s America’s Best high Schools list, there were 13 public charter schools in the top 100, with two BASIS charter schools reaching their top 10. Newsweek also came out with their Transformative High Schools list, which takes students’ socioeconomic status into account by looking at schools that serve a high percentage of students who receive free- or reduced-price lunches. Sixteen public charter schools were on the list, making up 64 percent of the nation’s top 25 Transformative schools. All top five schools were public charter schools.
School Name
State
U.S. News & World Report, Best High Schools
Washington Post, High School Challenge Index
Newsweek, America’s Best High Schools
Newsweek, 25 Transformative High Schools
Haas Hall Academy
AR
83
BASIS Scottsdale
AZ
5
3
BASIS Tucson
AZ
2
BASIS Tucson North
AZ
7
Northland Preparatory Academy
AZ
77
Sonoran Science Academy – Davis Monthan
AZ
53
Sonoran Science Academy – Tucson
AZ
96
Alliance Dr. Olga Mohan High
CA
95
4
Alliance Gertz-Ressler High
CA
6
Alliance Huntington Park College-Ready Academy High
CA
10
Alliance Marc & Eva Stern Math and Science
CA
23
American Indian Public High
CA
38
1
11
2
Animo Jackie Robinson High
CA
21
Animo Leadership High
CA
13
Animo Oscar De La Hoya Charter High
CA
11
Animo Pat Brown
CA
18
Hawthorne Math and Science Academy
CA
89
Lennox Mathematics, Science and Technology Academy
CA
39
Magnolia Science Academy
CA
45
Northcoast Preparatory and Performing Arts Academy
CA
72
25
Pacific Collegiate Charter
CA
11
56
Preuss School UCSD
CA
30
29
1
Summit Preparatory Charter High
CA
82
University High
CA
42
Peak to Peak Charter School
CO
58
70
49
Charter School of Wilmington
DE
62
Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School
FL
26
54
Doral Performing Arts and Entertainment Academy
FL
86
International Studies Charter High School
FL
15
Somerset Academy Charter High School
FL
7
Gwinnett Charter School of Advanced Mathematics, Science, & Technology
GA
3
10
Coeur D’Alene Charter Academy
ID
59
89
Noble Network of Charter Schools – Noble Street College Prep
IL
15
Signature School Inc
IN
23
8
12
Benjamin Franklin High School
LA
55
Sturgis Charter Public
MA
31
64
Raleigh Charter High School
NC
77
40
Albuquerque Institute of Math & Science
NM
42
Harding Charter Preparatory High School
OK
75
Corbett Charter School
OR
70
4
Early College H S
TX
97
Eastwood Academy
TX
56
50
Harmony Science Acad (El Paso)
TX
71
Harmony Science Academy – North Austin
TX
46
IDEA Frontier College Preparatory
TX
60
IDEA Quest College Preparatory
TX
83
KIPP Houston H S
TX
65
Uplift Education – North Hills Preparatory High School
TX
51
82
41
Uplift Education – Peak Preparatory High School
TX
24
5
Uplift Education – Summit International Preparatory
TX
23
51
14
Uplift Education – Williams Preparatory High School
TX
28
3
Westlake Academy
TX
41
20
52
YES Prep – East End Campus
TX
18
YES Prep – North Central Campus
TX
46
89
17
YES Prep – Southwest Campus
TX
66
83
Methodology The U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools list evaluates over 21,000 public high schools in the country. Their ranking is based on students’ performance on state-mandated assessments, minority and economically disadvantaged student performance, and Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exam results to determine preparedness for college-level work. The Washington Post’s Challenge Index is calculated by the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) tests given at a school in 2012, divided by the number of graduates that year. Also included are the percentage of students who come from families that qualify for lunch subsidies and the percentage of graduates who passed at least one college-level test during their high school career, indicators called equity and excellence for the Challenge Index. Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools ranks schools based on six components: graduation rate (25 percent), college acceptance rate (25 percent), AP/IB/AICE tests taken per student (25 percent), average SAT/ACT scores (10 percent), average AP/IB/AICE scores (10 percent), and percent of students enrolled in at least one AP/IB/AICE course (5 percent). Their ranking system focuses on high schools that have proven to be the most effective in turning out college-ready grads. Newsweek’s Transformative Schools ranking used the Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools score and multiplied it by the percentage of students who are eligible for free- or reduced-price lunches, a leading indicator of socioeconomic status. The overall ranking for each school is based on the graduation rate, college-bound rate of grads, AP participation, and test scores.
