Lorna RomeroArizona public schools are leading national rankings once again as U.S. News & World Report released the best high schools in the nation for 2018. Arizona public schools captured six spots in the top ten and accounted for nearly half of the schools in top 30.
Coming in at number one is BASIS Scottsdale for the second consecutive year. Rounding out the top five: BASIS Chandler, BASIS Oro Valley, BASIS Tucson North and BASIS Flagstaff.
According to U.S. News, the rankings emphasize student outcomes, incorporating data on graduation rates and state assessments. “Top-ranked schools succeed in three main areas: exceeding expectations on state proficiency tests, offering challenging coursework and graduating their students,” said Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News.
University High School in Tucson Unified made the list at #27. University High for the 2nd year in a row has more National Hispanic Scholars than any other high school in the country. Over 40% of University High students do not speak English at home, more than 50% are Latino or African American making it the most diverse public exam high school in the country and more than 9% are homeless.
Gilbert Classical Academy High School also ranked #20 this year.
U.S. News offers individual statewide rankings and rankings for the best magnet, charter and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) schools.
The following Arizona Public High Schools made the top 30:
- BASIS Scottsdale (#1)
- BASIS Chandler (#2)
- BASIS Oro Valley (#3)
- BASIS Tucson North (#4)
- BASIS Flagstaff (#5)
- BASIS Peoria (#8)
- BASIS Phoenix (#14)
- Gilbert Classical Academy High School (#20)
- University High School Tucson (#27)
- University High School Tolleson (#29)
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