USC named among the 2020 Best High Schools
April 23, 2020
USC named among the 2020 Best High Schools
Ranked 15th in Pennsylvania, Upper St. Clair is the third highest-ranking high school in Allegheny County. Nationally, Upper St. Clair ranks 709th out of more than 17,700 public high schools in the nation.
“Upper St. Clair High School's success in rankings like this is attributable to a community that values and supports education,” Dr. Timothy Wagner, principal, said. “Our residents expect high quality education. Our schools deliver on this expectation thanks to a variety of factors, paramount among them a School Board policy that describes continuous progress, students who arrive at school ready to learn, and staff who are highly skilled at supporting student growth and achievement.”
While proud of the recognition from the Best High Schools rankings, the school credits its tradition of success to offering challenging academics coupled with robust arts, athletics and activities programs.
“Upper St. Clair High School is committed to serving students' needs beyond reading, writing, and arithmetic,” Dr. Wagner said. “Comprehensive and successful athletics, arts, and activity programs each create pathways for students to pursue areas of interest beyond core academics. When this student-centered learning environment is coupled with a district vision for staff to serve the needs of the whole child, it is clear that a ranking alone means little when compared with the important work of educating and caring for children.”
"The Best High Schools rankings provide the most comprehensive, data-based information on nearly every public high school in the country," said Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News. "Families can use this information to see how their local schools compare on graduation rates and state assessments, as well as academic performance by students who are traditionally underserved – those who are black, Hispanic or from low-income households."
The methodology takes a holistic approach to evaluating schools – focusing on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates. College readiness measures participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.
By sharing this information, officials at U.S. News & World Report hope that parents across the country will be armed with 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.
