U.S. News and World Report’s 2015 Best High Schools
Newton South High School was tops in Massachusetts in U.S. News and World Report’s 2015 Best High Schools survey. U.S. News looked at more than 29,000 public high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to determine which schools excelled in each state and nationally.
The Top 10:
1. Sturgis Charter Public School
2. Boston Latin School
3. Boston Collegiate Charter School
4. Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter School
5. Lexington High School
6. Belmont High School
7. Berkshire Arts And Technology Charter Public School
8. Mystic Valley Regional Charter School
9. Dover-Sherborn Regional High
10. Sharon High School
Newton High Schools
12. Newton South High School
38. Newton North High School
To create the 2015 Best High Schools rankings, U.S. News worked with RTI International, a North Carolina-based research firm. High schools were evaluated in three stages.
First, U.S. News looked at overall student performance on state-required tests. Schools had to perform better than average to pass, but because of a slight change to the methodology this year, more schools qualified for the rankings.
Then, U.S. News factored in how effectively schools educated their least-advantaged students – those of black, Hispanic and low-income backgrounds.
Finally, schools were assessed on how well they prepared students for college based on participation in and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.
