U.S. News and World Report on Monday issued its annual rankings of public high schools throughout the country – district and charter alike – and three of the top 50 in Arizona hail from Deer Valley Unified School District.
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U.S. News and World Report on Monday issued its annual rankings of public high schools throughout the country – district and charter alike – and three of the top 50 in Arizona hail from Deer Valley Unified School District.
The publication uses enrollment data from the U.S. Department of Education, state testing results, high school graduation rates, Advanced Placement exam scores, and International Baccalaureate exams, U.S. News and World Report says.
The highest ranked Arizona high school hailing from Glendale is Mountain Ridge, which checks in at No. 30 in the state. As one of six high schools in Deer Valley Unified, Mountain Ridge, 22800 N. 67th Ave., boasts a 98% graduation rate.
Rankings are compiled based on college readiness, college curriculum breadth, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance, and graduation rate, the publication further states.
"At U.S. News, we believe that better education drives the future,” the publication noted on its website. “We rank high schools across the country to give an unbiased look at how well schools serve their students and help you make informed decisions about your child's education. We also want to recognize high-performing schools and inspire educators and municipalities to do better."
In its reviews of nearly 25,000 U.S. public high schools, 360 Arizona schools made the rankings.
Arizona high school students must earn at least 22 credits to graduate, including a credit in fine arts or career and technical education. Students also must pass a civics test. The state administers the ACT and the AzSCI, or Arizona's Science Test, to students
The report figures show that 423,335 students are enrolled in Arizona high schools, which employ 14,984 full-time teachers.
No Glendale schools made the nation’s top 100 rankings.
A look at all Glendale schools on the latest U.S. News and World Report based on their Arizona rankings:
#30: Mountain Ridge High School, Deer Valley Unified School District, 98% graduation rate
#32: Sunnyslope High School, Glendale Union High School District, 89% graduation rate
$32: Boulder Creek High School, Deer Valley Unified School District, 96% graduation rate
#48: Sandra Day O’Connor, Deer Valley Unified School District, 97% graduation rate
#50: Thunderbird High School, Glendale Union High School District, 91% graduation rate
#79: Great Hearts Academies-Glendale Prep, charter, graduation rate n/a
#81: Washington High School, Glendale Union High School District, 89% graduation rate
#84: Moon Valley High School, Glendale Union High School District, 91% graduation rate
#97: Independence High School, Glendale Union High School District, 87% graduation rate
#105: Greenway High School, Glendale Union High School District, 91% graduation rate
#107: Apollo High School, Glendale Union High School District, 90% graduation rate
#128: Jefferson Preparatory High School, charter, graduation rate n/a
#136: Deer Valley High School, Deer Valley Unified School District, 92% graduation rate
#141: Glendale High School, Glendale Union High School District, 84% graduation rate
#142: Barry Goldwater High School, Deer Valley Unified District, 88% graduation rate
#145: Ironwood High School, Peoria Unified School District, 92% graduation rate
#146: Glenview College Preparatory High School, charter, graduation rate n/a
#181: Cactus High School, Peoria Unified School District, 91% graduation rate
#198: Raymond S. Kellis High School, Peoria Unified School District, 90% graduation rate
Steve Stockmar has been with the Independent Newsmedia team since 2017. An NAU alum and Peoria resident, Steve’s community journalism pursuits focus mostly on arts & culture, education, and profiles of neighbors making a difference. In his spare time Steve plays in a vintage baseball league using uniforms and rules from the 1860s, and also acts (badly) in community theater. In addition, he has an unhealthy obsession with baseball and the Chicago Cubs.
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