Miami-Dade has a new top public high school, according to U.S. News and World Report
U.S. News and World Report changed its methodology this year and ranked six times more schools for its annual report of best high schools.
So a new high school emerged as the best in Miami-Dade County: School for Advanced Studies in Homestead. It also ranked as the second-best high school in the state and 26th in the nation.
U.S. News and World Report this year ranked 17,245 public high schools out of more than 23,000 reviewed, compared to just 2,700 schools ranked last year. More competition meant that most schools’ rankings changed significantly from last year to this year but not necessarily because of a difference in the underlying data. The report warned that the 2019 rankings should not be compared to rankings from previous years.
The shake-up didn’t rattle the top high school in Florida, an honor that stays with Pine View School in Sarasota, which ranked 15th nationally. Pine View was also ranked the eighth-best magnet school in the nation and 233rd-best nationally for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).
Overall, Miami-Dade had seven high schools in the nation’s top 100, more than any other county in Florida, and crowded the top of the state’s list. Last year’s top winner in Miami-Dade, Design and Architecture Senior High, was ranked 51st nationally and seventh in the state. It also placed as the top magnet school in the district.
In order of rank, the top schools in Miami-Dade were School for Advanced Studies-South (36th), International Studies Charter High School (41st), Young Women’s Preparatory School (59th), Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School (79th) and Jose Marti MAST 6-12 Academy (98th).
International Studies Charter High School was named the top charter school in Florida and ranked the 11th-best charter school in the nation.
The new rankings weren’t as kind to Broward County public schools. The top school, Pompano Beach High School, missed out on the national list of top 200 schools, coming in at No. 202. Pompano Beach High was ranked 20th in the state.
Academic Magnet High School in North Charleston, S.C., was named the best high school in the nation.
Data for the rankings are derived from third-party vendors, not from individual schools. Basic data on enrollment, student ethnicity and other metrics come from the U.S. Department of Education’s Common Core of Data database, data from Advanced Placement exams come from the College Board and International Baccalaureate gave IB exam data.
To find how a high school ranked, click here for the official rankings.
This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 12:01 AM with the headline "Miami-Dade has a new top public high school, according to U.S. News and World Report."