E. Greenwich, Classical alone from R.I. on Newsweek’s top high schools lists

EAST GREENWICH HIGH SCHOOL AND Providence's Classical High School were the only two Rhode Island secondary schools that made it onto two lists published by Newsweek of the top public high schools in the nation. / COURTESY NEWSWEEK
EAST GREENWICH HIGH SCHOOL AND Providence's Classical High School were the only two Rhode Island secondary schools that made it onto two lists published by Newsweek of the top public high schools in the nation. / COURTESY NEWSWEEK

PROVIDENCE – East Greenwich High School is the lone Rhode Island representative on Newsweek’s list of the Top 500 public high schools in the nation for 2016, coming in at No. 259. For Newsweek’s list of the best high schools for low-income students, East Greenwich and Classical High School in Providence made the top 500 list.
The news organization ranked schools on a combination of factors, including college readiness, graduation rate and how many students were college bound.
The ranking was done for Newsweek by Westat, using standardized test results as the first ranking criterion for schools across the United States. Then, to develop a “College Readiness Index” score, Westat looked at graduation rates, percentage of students taking Advanced Placement tests, number of counselors and other factors. And finally, the relative ranking of schools took into account the levels of student poverty, as measured by student eligibility for free or reduced-price lunches. For a full discussion of the methodology, click HERE and HERE.
For the absolute ranking, East Greenwich was given a College Readiness Index score of 77.8 (out of 100), while being credited with a graduation rate of 96.6 percent and a college bound rate of 93.4 percent. The average SAT score for the school was given as 1,696, while the average ACT score was 25.
The highest-ranked school on the list was the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Va.
Newsweek also published a list of the best high schools for low-income students, titled “Beating the Odds.” East Greenwich was ranked No. 417 on this list, with a poverty rate of 6.4 percent. Classical High School in Providence came in at No. 420 on that list, with a College Readiness Index score of 67.5, a graduation rate of 97.9 percent and a poverty rate of 61.5 percent. Newsweek listed the average SAT score as 1,553 and the average ACT score as 29.
The top school on that list was Stuyvesant High School in New York City, with a College Readiness Index score of 100 and a poverty rate of 47.3 percent.
While there were no other schools in Rhode Island or Bristol County, Mass., on the list, there were a number of schools in the region that were listed. Massachusetts had a total of 19 high schools on the top school list, while Connecticut had 16.
Top Public High School list, schools in the region:

  • Medway (Mass.) High School, No. 312
  • Norwell (Mass.) High School, No. 332
  • Woodstock (Conn.) Academy, No. 407
  • Nipmuc Regional High School, Upton, Mass., No. 466
  • Medfield (Mass.) High School, No. 476

On the Beating the Odds list, Massachusetts had eight school ranked in the top 500, while Connecticut had three. Beating the Odds list, schools in the region:

  • Randolph (Mass.) High School, No. 409, poverty rate, 53.4 percent
  • Marine Science Magnet High School of Southeastern Connecticut, Groton, Conn., No. 491, Poverty rate, 26.1 percent

No posts to display