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MCPS Places 11 Schools on "Best High Schools" List

May 8, 2012
Eleven Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) received gold or silver medals in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of the nation’s “Best High Schools.” Three MCPS high schools were ranked in the top 100 and the district had the top seven high schools in the state of Maryland.

The Best High Schools list, released Tuesday (May 8, 2012), ranks schools on academic performance and how schools are preparing students for college-level work. The magazine evaluated nearly 22,000 high schools from 49 states and the District of Columbia in developing its report.  More than 4,850 schools received gold, silver or bronze medals and the 2,008 schools that received gold or silver medals were ranked.

Three MCPS high schools—Winston Churchill, Walt Whitman and Thomas S. Wootton—are ranked in the top 100 and eleven MCPS schools are in the top 1,000. MCPS has 11 of the top 28 schools in Maryland.

Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr said such rankings certainly have limitations but allow the public to see how schools compare based on the same criteria.

“The Best High Schools ranking is another indicator that, overall, MCPS is doing a great job preparing students for college and careers,” Dr. Starr said. "We celebrate the accomplishments of the schools on this list and remain focused on helping all schools improve teaching and learning in order to best serve the needs of our students.”

U.S. News & World Report partnered with the Washington D.C.-based American Institutes for Research on the methodology used to rank schools. The magazine first analyzed schools based on state assessment results, taking into account the demographics of each school, and then looked at college-readiness indicators, such as Advanced Placement classes and International Baccalaureate programs. Visit the Best High Schools website for a full explanation of the methodology.  

High School                  National Rank                State Rank

Churchill                                  57                                1

Whitman                                 84                                2

Wootton                                  93                                3

Poolesville                              105                               4

Walter Johnson                      118                               5

Bethesda-Chevy Chase          151                               6

Richard Montgomery            187                               7

Blair                                        255                              12

Rockville                                 356                              18

Einstein                                   482                              21

Wheaton                                 826                              28



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