U.S.News & World Report Names America's Best High Schools

Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, VA, Tops List

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S.News & World Report, the nation'sleading source of news analysis and service journalism, today released itsfirst-ever list of America's Best High Schools, available atwww.usnews.com/highschools and on newsstands as of December 3 (magazine issuedate December 10, 2007). Based on an in-depth methodology, which factors intest scores as well as other data, this list is the most comprehensive of itskind. The nearly 1,600 high schools that met key criteria fall into threecategories of distinction: gold, silver, and bronze, with Thomas JeffersonHigh School in Alexandria, VA, topping the list.

"To ensure that U.S. News truly captures and recognizes the nation's besthigh schools, we teamed with analysts from School Evaluation Services todevelop an innovative methodology that allowed us to analyze how well highschools serve all students, not just those that perform at the top of theirclass," said Brian Kelly, editor, U.S.News & World Report. "For the list to bemeaningful, it was critically important for the methodology to factor inpoverty and economic status, including disadvantaged students, averagestudents, and college-bound students to measure how well the school servedtheir specific body of students."

The methodology was developed by School Evaluation Services incollaboration with Andrew Rotherham, co-founder of Education Sector and writerof Eduwonk.com. According to the methodology, a best high school is one thatsucceeds at the following:

1) Attains performance levels that exceed statistical expectations given

the school's relative level of student poverty, as measured by state

accountability test scores for all the school's students in the core

subjects of reading and math;

2) Achieves proficiency rates on state tests for their least advantaged

student groups (e.g., black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged

students) that exceed state averages; and

3) Prepares its students for college, as measured by student participation

in and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) tests, which are

administered by the College Board.

Using this methodology, more than 18,500 high schools in 40 states* wereanalyzed for inclusion in the 2008 edition. Highlights of analytical findingsinclude:

-- 505 high schools met all three of these demanding criteria (gold and