List: 3 local schools among best
Three local high schools have been named to the annual America’s 2,000 Best Public High Schools list compiled by Newsweek magazine and The Daily Beast news and opinion website.
Shenendehowa High School ranked 745th, while Saratoga Springs High School placed 888th. Ballston Spa High School ranked 1,234th.
Newsweek analyzed data from thousands of high schools to find the country’s best. The 2,000 finest high schools for 2013 were selected because they are the most effective in turning out college- and career- ready graduates.
Schools across the nation were ranked based on six components: percentage of students enrolled in at least one Advanced Placement ( AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) course ( 5 percent); AP/ IB tests taken per student (25 percent); average AP/ IB scores (10 percent); average SAT/ ACT scores ( 10 percent); graduation rate ( 25 percent); and college acceptance rate (25 percent).
Since 2010, Ballston Spa Central School District has received national recognition based on academic opportunity and performance.
Ballston Spa High School was previously recognized by Newsweek on the America’s Best High Schools list based on an increased number of students taking Advanced Placement examinations and an increase in the assessment scores. The school was also cited as one of America’s Best High Schools by the “Washington Post” and “U.S. News & World Report,” along with twice receiving the national AP Achievement Award from the College Board for increasing student access to AP coursework while maintaining achievement levels.
“We are thrilled to receive this recognition as an indicator of the work we are doing to support student achievement,” said Ballston Spa Superintendent Joseph P. Dragone. “The strength of the student transcript is a critical piece of the college admissions process. We will continue to develop and provide the strongest academic opportunities for our students as we move forward with district initiatives.”
Dragone commended Ballston Spa instructional staff members for their focus on excellence in the classroom. The district’s goals and priorities will continue to focus on academic achievement and building the programs necessary to prepare students for 21st- century learning and for their future in the workplace.
In the past two years, the district launched the Clean Technologies and Sustainable Industries Early College High School program, which will now enroll more than 110 students from 17 regional schools, and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, an internationally recognized program of study that exemplifies college and career readiness.
Go to www. thedailybeast. com/ newsweek/ features/ 2013/ americas- besthigh- schools. html to see the full list of high schools and related information.