WHERE CITY RANKS
City tops state best HS list
NEW YORK CITY can claim bragging rights when it comes to the 10 best high schools in the state, according to a new ranking.
The High School of American Studies at Lehman College in the Bronx was named best in the state for the fourth year in a row in the annual rankings that U.S. News & World Report released Tuesday.
Public schools in the city, including one privately run charter school, dominated all of the state’s top 10 spots.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said she was glad to see city schools clinch the top slots.
“Congratulations to these schools — some of the many exemplary schools across the city — on this well-deserved recognition,” Fariña said. “I am grateful to all of the dedicated educators in New York City for their ongoing commitment to supporting students and helping them succeed,” she added. Manhattan Bridges High School ranked No. 2, followed by the High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College and the KIPP Academy Charter School in the Bronx. “It’s wonderful that there are so many hardworking and successful students in New York City,” said Alessandro Weiss, principal of the High School for American Studies. “They’re all products of the city’s public school system, and it goes all the way back to elementary school.” At the school — which placed 17th in the national rankings — students focus on a humanities-driven curriculum that goes
beyond test scores, Weiss said.
But all High School for American Studies students take the Advanced Placement world history exam and the U.S. history exam. Starting in the 11th grade, they can take free college courses for credit at Lehman College.
“Some of the thinking skills into which the humanities tap most easily are ones that other fields are looking for also,” Weiss said. “If you provide students with an excellent education, test prep takes care of itself.”
Other city schools in the top 10 include Staten Island Technical High School, the High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies in Manhattan, Townsend Harris High School in Queens, Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, the Bronx High School of Science and New Explorations Into Science, Tech and Math High School in Manhattan.
Staffers at U.S. News & World Report evaluated the schools based on measures including test scores, how they educate disadvantaged youngsters and Advanced Placement results.
They studied more than 28,496 high schools across the nation for the annual rankings.
Several celebrated city schools, including Stuyvesant High School and Brooklyn Technical High School, didn’t rank in the state top 10 because more students at other schools passed Advanced Placement exams, U.S. News & World Report data strategist Bob Morse said.