Washington,D.C. More than one-third of the nations top 100 high schools (34 schools) are charter public schools, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s annual list released today. To arrive at the list of best schools, the report analyzes the academic performance and graduation rate of nearly 20,000 high schools across the country. The annual ranking comes on the heels of similar rankings released this week by the Washington Post, in which charter schools were also overrepresented.
The charter school movement stands for high quality, and it is exciting and gratifying to see so many schools increasingly being recognized for their commitment to student achievement, and in the case of these latest rankings, for graduation rate, said Nina Rees, president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. We are especially proud that this report takes into account the achievement of schools minority students, which is a hallmark of successful charter schools.
U.S. News and World Report factors in several criteria, including students’ performance on state tests, whether historically underserved students performed better than the state average, college readiness based on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate participation and performance, and for the first time, graduation rates. Of the top 100 high schools on this years U.S. News and World Reports list, the following are charter schools:
Ranking
High School
Location
2
BASIS Scottsdale
Scottsdale, AZ
3
BASIS Tucson North
Tucson, AZ
6
BASIS Oro Valley
Oro Valley, AZ
16
Nova Classical Academy Upper School
Saint Paul, MN
17
KIPP Academy Charter School
Bronx, NY
18
Signature School
Evansville, IN
21
International Studies Charter High School
Miami, FL
22
Summit International Preparatory
Arlington, TX
26
Stockton Collegiate International Secondary
Stockton, CA
27
Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology
Lawrenceville, GA
33
Sturgis Charter Public School
Hyannis, MA
35
YES Prep Southwest
Houston, TX
37
Raleigh Charter High School
Raleigh, NC
50
Eastwood Academy
Houston, TX
53
Benjamin Franklin High School
New Orleans, LA
55
University Preparatory Academy Charter
San Jose, CA
58
Westlake Academy
Westlake, TX
62
KIPP Austin Collegiate
Austin, TX
64
Peak to Peak Charter School
Lafayette, CO
65
YES Prep North Central
Houston, TX
67
Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School
Albuquerque, NM
69
Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School
Miami, FL
70
Charter School of Wilmington
Wilmington, DE
72
Early College High School
Laredo, TX
74
Treknorth High School
Bemidji, MN
78
Challenge Early College High School
Houston, TX
79
IDEA Frontier College Preparatory
Brownsville, TX
81
University High School (Fresno)
Fresno, CA
84
IDEA Quest College Preparatory
Edinburgh, TX
86
KIPP San Jose Collegiate
San Jose, CA
87
YES Prep East End
Houston, TX
93
Young Womens Leadership Academy
San Antonio, TX
95
Corbett Charter School
Corbett, OR
98
Preuss School UCSD
La Jolla, CA
About Charter Public Schools
Charter public schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, manyresearch studieshavefound that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college and have higher earnings in early adulthood.
About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org
