2005 America's Best (Public) High Schools

As a college degree becomes ever more essential in the workplace, much of high-school reform centers on getting as many students as possible ready for higher education. That's what the NEWSWEEK List tries to measure by ranking schools based on participation in AP and IB tests written and graded by outside experts. In these courses, students prepare for the demands of college and can earn college credit if their scores are high enough. 

NEWSWEEK omitted schools with strict academic admission standards that exclude average students. Although there's much debate about the value of standardized tests and AP in particular, NEWSWEEK's List is based on the conviction that no other standard works as well to measure a high school's success at challenging all students to perform at a high level. 

AP is the better known of the two programs and is used all over the country. IB is less common. It's a series of college-level courses and tests, similar to AP, originally designed in Geneva for the children of diplomats and international business executives preparing for baccalaureate exams but now used in a range of U.S. schools to energize students.  - Jay Mathews, NEWSWEEK - May 16, 2005

Webmaster's Note - The table below has been expanded to also show Mean SAT scores and TEA accountability ratings for each school on Newsweek's list.  Since Newsweek's rating only considers how many test are given, but not how many are passed, a school may gain entry to the Newsweek list by simply giving AP tests to a large number of its students.  Likewise, mean SAT scores should be compared to the percentage of the graduating class that takes the SAT exam.  TEA Accountability Ratings are primarily based on passage rates of the state standardized TAKS test, but can penalize a school for a variety of other factors, including drop out rates.  A variety of scores and ratings should be considered when evaluating the overall academic performance of any individual campus.