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Newsweek - America's Best High Schools (Find Yours)


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There are about a dozen public high schools in San Francisco. The best of them is Lowell, the oldest public high school west of the Mississippi. You have to test in and have top grades in middle school to attend. Basically, every academically oriented kid in the entire City tries to get into Lowell, and only goes somewhere else if they fail to get in. These are not only privileged suburban kids, but kids from every corner of the City, rich, poor, inbetween. By any measure, it is the best performing urban high school in California.

So, Lowell is nowhere to be found on this ranking list, but San Francisco's George Washington High School IS on the list. The average SAT at Lowell is 375 points higher than the average SAT at Washington. The number of AP courses taken at Lowell is multiples of the number taken at Washington. 99 percent of graduates from Lowell attend college, 91 percent of greaduates from Washington attend college.

Something is wrong here.

---------- Post added June-22nd-2011 at 11:37 AM ----------

Montgomery County too, maybe even more so.

If the best students try to get into the school then how do you differentiate the quality of the education vs. the quality of the students?

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If the best students try to get into the school then how do you differentiate the quality of the education vs. the quality of the students?

Of course, that's why ranking schools is so stupid in the first place. That has always been my position.

My point here was more specific - even using the criteria that Newsweek claims to be using, Lowell should be near the top of their list, but it isn't even on the list, and a school that is demonstrably less impressive by any objective criteria is on their list. So not only is it stupid to make lists like this, but this particular list can't even do its stupid job right. :ols:

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heh

http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2011/americas-best-high-schools.html

1 School of Science and Engineering Magnet Dallas TX 21 100 17.2 100 1786 2.874

2 School for the Talented and Gifted Magnet Dallas TX 15 100 16.7 93 1885 2.807

10 North Hills Preparatory Irving TX 11.3 99 9.5 92 1716 1.669

11 Carnegie Vanguard Houston TX 15.8 100 8.9 96 1801 1.662

21 Liberal Arts and Science Academy Austin TX 16.7 100 6.7 96 1877 1.416

30 Michael E DeBakey High School for Health Professions Houston TX 16.1 99 5.1 100 1829 1.217

31 Highland Park Dallas TX 19.2 100 6.5 97 1762 1.21

47 Westwood Austin TX 29.1 98 4.6 93 1801 1.036

65 School of Business and Management Dallas TX 17 100 5 100 1448 0.932

68 South Texas High School for Health Professions Mercedes TX 14.1 97 6.5 99 1541 0.897

72 Westlake Austin TX 14 98 5.3 87 1795 0.858

80 Communications Arts San Antonio TX 23 100 6.7 80 1664 0.821

81 South Texas Academy of Medical Technology San Benito TX 16.4 82 9.8 98 1421 0.821

98 Plano West Plano TX 25.1 99 2.9 95 1748 0.78

135 Judge Barefoot Sanders Magnet Center for Public Service: Government, Law and Law Enforcement at the Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center Dallas TX 20.1 98 5 96 1488 0.626

142 Northside Health Careers San Antonio TX 20 100 3.1 98 1129 0.608

144 Harmony Science Academy - North Austin Pflugerville TX 12.3 100 3.8 86 1521 0.606

150 Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Dallas TX 11.6 98 4.1 94 1556 0.583

152 YES Prep Public Schools - North Central Houston TX 14.1 98 3.5 100 1541 0.58

165 Harmony Science Academy-Dallas Dallas TX 12 100 3.8 96 1502 0.564

168 Stratford Houston TX 25 98 2.6 98 1647 0.56

228 Ronald Reagan San Antonio TX 23 98 3 100 1095 0.477

234 Carroll Southlake TX 20.1 99 2 88 1676 0.47

259 James E. Taylor Katy TX 15.5 99 1.6 89 1657 0.432

261 School of Health Professions Dallas TX 20.1 100 5 80 1200 0.431

Showing results 1 to 25 of 38

America's Best High Schools 2011

(filtered from 500 total entries)

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top 2...that's how we roll. :cool:

Ok, just out of idle curiosity, I just compared Lowell with the No. 1 School on this list, the School of Science and Engineering Magnet of Dallas Texas, using the exact criteria set forth in the chart.

Lowell has a better student-teacher ratio, the same graduation rate, the same college matriculation rate, and a better average SAT score. I can't compare the AP course stuff directly because the Newsweek chart didn't break it down in detail, but according to wikipedia, Lowell ranked third in the world in average score on AP exams in 2009, so I suspect that it is a wash at best. So why is this school in Dallas ranked No 1 in the nation? :whoknows:

And as I understand it, Thomas Jefferson High in Alexandria blows Lowell (and every other school) out of the water on any objective criteria.

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Lowell ranked third in the world ?

Perhaps you were right....rankings are foolish;)

Actually, I'm on the same page as you. I'm desperately trying to convince myself that Lowell is overrated. Because my daughter applied, got in, and turned it down, so now I am gonna be paying private school tuition for 4 more years instead of having her go to Lowell for free. :cry:

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So why is this school in Dallas ranked No 1 in the nation? :whoknows:

No idea. :ols:

But Newsweek is kinda cheating here. The top two schools listed are actually part of the same center. But they are technically recognized as two different schools because of how big it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yvonne_A._Ewell_Townview_Magnet_Center

TAG was ranked #1 in the US in 2006, 2007, and 2009. And SEM has consistently been ranked highly as well. As you can imagine, a pretty big rivalry has grown recently because they both keep switching orders on Newsweek's list. The competition has obviously helped.

While I couldn't tell you how they decide these things, the fact that those two are consistently listed at or near the top...there has to be good reasoning.

Plus, this Magnet Center is located in Oak Cliff (south Dallas) which is not exactly a good neighborhood. For a little idea of Oak Cliff's reputation...

e1ao87.jpg

:ols:

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Of course, that's why ranking schools is so stupid in the first place. That has always been my position.

My point here was more specific - even using the criteria that Newsweek claims to be using, Lowell should be near the top of their list, but it isn't even on the list, and a school that is demonstrably less impressive by any objective criteria is on their list. So not only is it stupid to make lists like this, but this particular list can't even do its stupid job right. :ols:

truth

Actually, I'm on the same page as you. I'm desperately trying to convince myself that Lowell is overrated. Because my daughter applied, got in, and turned it down, so now I am gonna be paying private school tuition for 4 more years instead of having her go to Lowell for free. :cry:

dude, your daughter just owned the **** out of you :ols:

though tbf, I don't think I'd want to go to Lowell either

the plus side is that, at another school there wouldn't be nearly as many gunners and she'd have a better chance at a perfect gpa for college admissions purposes.

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Actually, I'm on the same page as you. I'm desperately trying to convince myself that Lowell is overrated. Because my daughter applied, got in, and turned it down, so now I am gonna be paying private school tuition for 4 more years instead of having her go to Lowell for free. :cry:

I bet you scared away boys she liked and this is her way of punishing you.

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TJ's not on there? What was their methodology again? I think they missed a few schools.
I was looking for TJ in the top 20 at least as well
There's absolutely no excuse for them not to have TJ as #1 (i didnt go there but still know that it is the best school in the country) and at least 5-10 FFX County schools in this list

:geek:

A lot of lists exclude TJ for one reason or another. We're still #1.

Booya!

Not that anyone cares, myself included.

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