USCHS named a 2022 Best High School
April 27, 2022
USCHS named a 2022 Best High School
Ranked 14th in Pennsylvania, Upper St. Clair is the third highest-ranking high school in the Pittsburgh region. Nationally, Upper St. Clair ranks 557th out of nearly 18,000 public high schools in the nation.
Dr. Timothy Wagner, Upper St. Clair High School principal, believes this year's designation as a Best High School is a celebration of the school community’s efforts over the past year and motivation to continue to thrive.
“Earning national recognition is a testament to the work ethic of our students, the support of their families, and the skill of our teachers,” he said. “This particular recognition comes as we reflect on the extraordinary contributions of our school community during a global pandemic.”
He attributes the school’s continued success to a collective commitment to educational excellence.
U.S. News & World Report ranked 17,843 high schools nationally and 676 high schools in Pennsylvania. This is the count of public high schools that had a 12th grade enrollment of 15 or greater, or otherwise had sufficient enrollment in other high school grades during the 2019-2020 school year to be analyzed.
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.
While the six ranking indicators that determined each school’s rank were the same as those used in the three prior years, U.S. News & World Report adjusted its calculation of these measures to account for the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on schools in the 2019-2020 school year.
With most states closing schools for in-person instruction beginning in March 2020 – typically just before most states conduct assessments – the U.S. Department of Education granted waivers allowing all states to forego state testing for the 2019-2020 school year.
Without 2019-2020 assessment data available, U.S. News & World Report relied on historic assessment data from the three prior ranking years while also incorporating for the first time state science assessment data from the 2018-2019 school year to capture a broader measure of student learning. Specifically, an average of the following years and academic subjects were used: 2016-2017 math and reading assessment data; 2017-2018 math and reading assessment data; and 2018-2019 math, reading and science assessment data.
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.
“At U.S. News, we believe that better education drives the future,” according to its website. “We also want to recognize high-performing schools and inspire educators and municipalities to do better.”
The first-ever list of the U.S. News Best High Schools was posted online on Nov. 30, 2007.
