Two
Horry County high schools are among 15 in South Carolina to be ranked
among the nation’s best, according to U.S. News & World Report. In
its first ranking of "America's Best High Schools," Loris High School and Myrtle Beach High School were listed in the bronze category of high schools.
Twelve
other state schools were listed in either the bronze or silver
category, while one school, Charleston County’s Academic Magnet High
School, was rated a Top 100 "gold" school. More than 18,500 public high
schools in 40 states were compared in the first year of the U.S. News’
ratings for high schools. The list was posted on the magazine's web
site on November 30 and will appear in its December 10 printed edition.
Schools
were judged on how well students score on state reading and math tests,
as well as participation and achievement in challenging Advanced
Placement courses. The system was created by a unit of the rating and
research company Standard & Poors and by Andrew J. Rotherham,
co-director of the think tank Education Sector and a member of the
Virginia Board of Education.
U.S.
News is known for ranking the nation's colleges, graduate schools and
hospitals, yet had not previously developed ratings for high schools
due to the availability of comparable data. Test data available through
the federal No Child Left Behind Act, and an increase in schools with
AP courses, have made the rankings possible.
Schools
were screened initially on achievement on standardized reading and math
tests, with extra scrutiny given to scores of disadvantaged students.
Schools that made initial cuts were rated on participation and
performance in Advanced Placement courses. Schools that don't offer AP
courses or don't have enough students participating in them weren't
eligible for the top 100 list, but were eligible for the separate
silver and bronze category of high performers.
Click here to see a list of the 15 South Carolina schools that were ranked among America's Best High Schools.
Click here to see the US News & World Report article on America's Best High Schools.