The Best 100 US Public High Schools

US News and World Report has come out with the 2010 edition of its yearly article naming the 100 best public high schools in the country. As usual, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, tops the list. The school has won the honor for three years straight now, which is as long as US News has been doing this. What else can you expect from a school that offers courses in DNA science, neurology and quantum physics?

There are several accompanying lists, including Top Charter Schools, Top Magnet Schools, Top Economically Disadvantaged Schools and Top International Baccalaureate Schools, where my own high school got an honorable mention.

US News and its partner in the project, School Evaluation Services, evaluated 21,786 public high schools. Of those, 1,750 were substantially outperforming the standards of their states, and of those, 561 were identified as doing a great job of getting students ready for college-level work.

The most recognized schools cluster in California this year (110 schools), with New York (53) and Texas (50) coming in second and third. Illinois (37), Florida (24) and Massachusetts (21) follow. It should be noted that Nebraska and Oklahoma were not included in the analysis because of lack of information. The evaluation looks at how well a school serves its entire student body, not just the best students. Find out more about how rankings are made in the FAQ.

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