US News and World Report Best High Schools: How Does Newton Do?
According to US News and World Report, the top high 10 schools in Massachusetts are:
- Boston Latin School, Boston (#42)
- Advanced Math and Science Academy, Marlborough (#98)
- Hopkinton High School, Hopkinton (#175)
- Dover-Sherborn Regional High School, Dover-Sherborn (#217)
- Medfield Senior High School, Medfield ( #227)
- Lexington High School, Lexington (# 264)
- Belmont High School, Belmont (#267)
- Weston High School, Weston (#270)
- Cohasset Middle/High School, Cohasset (# 292)
- Medway High School, Medway (#293)
Newton South High School (#405)
Newton North High School (#677)
Wellesley High School (#497)
Brookline High School (#625)
Rankings are based on:
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STEP 1 | Students perform better than expected in their state.
We looked at reading and math results for students on each state’s proficiency tests and then factored in the percentage of economically disadvantaged students, who tend to score lower.
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STEP 2 | Disadvantaged students perform better than state average.
We compared each school’s math and reading proficiency rates for disadvantaged students – black, Hispanic and low-income – with the statewide results for these student groups and then selected schools that were performing better than their state averages.
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STEP 3 | Student graduation rates meet or exceed a national standard
We excluded schools from consideration if their graduation rates were lower than 75 percent – a threshold that is higher than a federal law that requires states to give extra resources to schools below 67 percent.
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STEP 4 | Students are prepared for college-level coursework.
We calculated a College Readiness Index, which is based on the school’s AP participation rate and how well the students did on those tests. Tiebeakers were used to determine ranks of schools that achieved the same College Readiness Index.
