High schools in the Southwest dominate the 2016 U.S. News and World Report rankings of the country’s best high schools, taking six of the top 10 spots in the rankings released Tuesday.
Texas and Arizona high schools earned the top four rankings, and the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology a Fairfax County, Virginia, magnet school, was in the fifth spot nationally.
The news magazine collected data on more than 21,500 schools for the report, which for the first time included graduation rates as a factor in the rankings.
An analysis by U.S. News found that the nation’s top 6,000 high schools have graduation rates at least 15 percent higher than all others.
The top honors went to the School for the Gifted and Talented in Dallas for the fifth year in a row, while two schools in Arizona — BASIS Scottsdale and BASIS Tucson North — were ranked second and third. Another Dallas institution, the School of Science and Engineering Magnet, took fourth.
Montgomery County had the ranking’s top two high schools in Maryland: Walt Whitman (No. 63) and Winston Churchill (No. 94). The District’s School Without Walls was the city’s top-ranked school, at No. 88. In addition to Thomas Jefferson High, Fairfax County had Virginia’s second-ranked school, with McLean High landing at No. 108.
Overall, the magazine found that Maryland, Connecticut and California had the most public high schools that best prepared students for college and careers.
On a list of the best schools that focus on science, technology, engineering and math, U.S. News ranked High Technology High School in Lincroft, New Jersey, the best for the second year in a row while, TJ, as the Fairfax County magnet school is called, came in third.
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From the U.S. News rankings:
2016 Best High Schools National Rankings
1. School for the Talented and Gifted (Texas)
2. BASIS Scottsdale (Ariz.)
3. BASIS Tucson North (Ariz.)
4. School of Science and Engineering Magnet (Texas)
5. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Va.)
6. BASIS Oro Valley (Ariz.)
7. Pine View School (Fla.)
8. Academic Magnet High School (S.C.)
9. International Academy (Mich.)
10. Carnegie Vanguard High School (Texas)
2016 Best STEM High Schools
1. High Technology High School (N.J.)
2. Early College at Guilford (N.C.)
3. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Va.)
4. BASIS Scottsdale (Ariz.)
5. Whitney High School (Calif.)
6. BASIS Tucson North (Ariz.)
7. Raleigh Charter High School (N.C.)
8. International Community School (Wash.)
9. Academy of Allied Health and Science (N.J.) .
10. Troy High School (Calif.)
2016 State Rankings (percent of schools with gold or silver medals in the rankings)
1. Maryland (28.9%)
2. Connecticut (24.9%)
3. California (23.8%)
4. Florida (21.4%)
5. Massachusetts (21.2%)
6. Washington, D.C. (19.4%)
7. Maine (19.3%)
8. Utah (19%)
9. Rhode Island (17.9%)
10. New York (17.8%)
11. Ohio (17.6%)
12. Vermont (17%)
12. Virginia (17%)
14. New Hampshire (16.5%)
15. New Jersey (16.3%)
16. Delaware (16.2%)
17. Wisconsin (15%)
18. Illinois (14.5%)
19. Washington (14%)
20. Nevada (13.8%)
