Do High School Rankings Matter?

U.S. News & World Report ranked Walton High School as the third top high school in Georgia on in its 2012 Best High Schools annual list. Lassiter was No. 7; Wheeler was No. 13. Nearby Campbell High School in Smyrna was ranked as No. 27 in the state followed by Marietta High School at No. 28.

South Cobb and Pebblebrook high schools were not even ranked. Only 38 schools in Georgia made the magazine’s 2,008 ranked schools. Other schools were given bronze status, but were not ranked.

Just how are these rankings determined?

It’s a three-step process:

• Step 1: The first step determined whether each school's students were performing better than statistically expected for the average student in the state. We started by looking at reading and math results for all students on each state's high school proficiency tests. We then factored in the percentage of economically disadvantaged students (who tend to score lower) enrolled at the school to identify the schools that were performing better than statistical expectations. 

• Step 2: For those schools that made it past this first step, the second step determined whether the school's least-advantaged students (black, Hispanic, and low-income) were performing better than average for similar students in the state. We compared each school's math and reading proficiency rates for disadvantaged students with the statewide results for these student groups and then selected schools that were performing better than this state average. 

• Step 3: Schools that made it through the first two steps became eligible to be judged nationally on the final step—college-readiness performance—using Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test data as the benchmarks for success, depending on which program was largest at the school. AP is a College Board program that offers college-level courses at high schools across the country. The International Baccalaureate program also offers a college-level curriculum. A “college readiness index” is computed by including the number of students who take AP or IB courses and how well they do on those tests.

In order to be ranked as a gold or silver school, schools must have a 16.3 or higher on the college readiness index. The magazine researchers found 16.3 to be the median number for all high schools tested, with the highest possible number being 100.

Do you think these rankings matter? What do you think about South Cobb high schools not being ranked on the magazine’s list? Tell us below in the comments.