Tuesday, U.S. News & World Report released its rankings for the top U.S. high schools. Texas and Arizona public schools absolutely dominated the highest spots on the list, claiming seven of the top 10. (Video via KNXV)
The rankings, which have been carried out since 2007, look at standardized test score data for thousands of public high schools around the country and attempt to pick out the ones that best serve their students in both basic skills and college readiness.
It's just one of several such high school rankings that come out every year. Media outlets like The Washington Post and Newsweek and research organizations like Niche all create their own separate lists.
But each one measures slightly different things. The Washington Post ranks which schools are the most challenging based on how many students took advanced tests.
Niche uses testing data mixed with opinion surveys, ranking schools in part by how students rate the school's atmosphere and extracurriculars.
The U.S. News rankings take a different approach, attempting to gauge how schools serve their least advantaged students as well as their star pupils.
It gives special consideration for how minority students or students from poor families perform against a state average for their demographic, as well as overall performance on standardized tests. (Video via Dallas Independent School District)
And it ranks the best STEM schools, schools that specialize in the practical applications of science and math.
The outlet also ranks states, with Maryland ranking best in the nation for its public high schools followed by California, despite neither state being represented in the top 10 schools.
The full list can be seen on the U.S. News & World Report website.
This video includes an image from SparkFun Electronics / CC BY 2.0.
