USC named among the 2017 Best High Schools
Upper St. Clair High School ranks among the top high schools in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report. The newspaper released its list of 2017 Best High Schools on April 25, 2017.
According to the U.S. News & World Report’s website, “the U.S. News rankings include data on more than 22,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.”
Ranked 12th in Pennsylvania and third in Allegheny County, Upper St. Clair High School was recognized with a Silver Medal by U.S. News & World Report. Of the commonwealth’s 686 high schools, six earned Gold Medals, 78 were awarded Silver Medals, and 148 received Bronze Medals. Nationally, Upper St. Clair ranks 666 out of more than 22,000 high schools in the nation – among the top three percent.
“At Upper St. Clair we strive for excellence throughout our entire educational program,” Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole, superintendent of schools, said. “This recognition based on academic performance in combination with our recent Best Communities for Music Education accolades speaks volumes about our district’s commitment to developing the whole child.”
Dr. Louis Angelo, Upper St. Clair High School principal, attributes the school’s success to a shared commitment to quality teaching and learning by the greater school community.
“Our Upper St. Clair school community truly values a high quality educational program,” Dr. Angelo said. “Our students, faculty and families work in partnership to provide instruction, support, enrichment and encouragement to enable students to achieve their fullest potential.”
U.S. News & World Report used a four-step process to determine its list of the Best High Schools.
- Step 1: The first step determined whether each school's students were performing better than statistically expected for students in that state, given their student poverty levels (based on number of students who qualify for free/reduced lunch).
- Step 2: For schools passing the first step, the second step assessed whether their least-advantaged students (black, Hispanic and low-income students) performed at or better than the state average for these student groups.
- Step 3: Schools must have achieved a graduation rate of at least 75 percent.
- Step 4: Schools that made it through the first three steps became eligible to be judged nationally on the final step – college readiness. A College Readiness Index was calculated based on the school’s Advanced Placement participation and performance on the tests.
By sharing this information, the organization hopes that parents across the country will be armed with objective information to help them make better-informed decisions about their child's education.
“The Best High Schools rankings identify the country's top-performing public high schools,” Robert Morse, chief data strategist for U.S. News & World Report, said. “The goal is to provide a clear, unbiased picture of how well public schools serve all of their students – from the highest to lowest achieving – in preparing them to demonstrate proficiency in basic skills as well as readiness for college-level work.”
The first-ever list of the U.S. News Best High Schools was posted online on Nov. 30, 2007.
“Since U.S. News & World Report’s editors believe high schools are among America’s most important institutions, adding the Best High Schools to the U.S. News rankings was a natural progression,” Mr. Morse said. “Education drives the country's future. Recognizing schools that are performing well and providing them as models to other schools will inspire educators and communities to do better.”
