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Six Urban Schools Ranked Among the Nation's Top 20

  • U.S. News & World Report recently released its 2024 edition of “Best High Schools,” ranking six schools in districts represented by the Council of the Great City Schools in the top 20 of 17,655 public schools evaluated nationwide.

    The Julia R. Masterman Secondary School in Philadelphia was ranked No. 4. The school’s Advanced Placement participation rate is 99 percent, and 100 percent of its students are from economically-disadvantaged families.

    Payton College Preparatory High School in Chicago was ranked No. 5, the School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas was ranked No. 6, and Academic Magnet School in Charleston, S.C., was ranked No.7. In addition, Science Academy Stem Magnet in Los Angeles was ranked No. 12, and the Early College at Guilford in Greensboro, N.C., was ranked No. 16.

    Public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia were ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college. Students in the highest-ranked schools demonstrated outstanding outcomes, including above expectations in math, reading and science state assessments; earned qualifying scores on an array of college-level exams; and graduated in high proportions.

    “The Science Academy STEM Magnet can best be described in a quote from the great scientist and philosopher Aristotle,” said Science Academy STEM Magnet Principal Carlos Lauchu in a news release: “‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.’” Lauchu added that “the school’s success is a reflection of all stakeholders: students, families, faculty and staff. It’s a school of district and community partnerships. The Science Academy students are ready for the world!”

    U.S. News also ranked the Best High Schools for STEM — science, technology, engineering and math — with the ranking criteria including student participation in college-level math and science courses, as well as scores on AP exams in STEM subjects for 2022 graduates. To be eligible for this category, schools had to be in the top 2,000 of the overall national rankings.

    Early College at Guilford ranked No. 4, Stuyvesant High School in New York City ranked No. 14 and Academic Magnet High School ranked No. 16.