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Top 10 High School in the US

One of the top 10 is in my neck of the woods - Thomas Jefferson. It's a magnet school, and you have to test into it, which I suspect is the case for most of the top 10. I wonder if it's really fair to treat those schools the same way as schools that have to take anyone, since it's probably a lot easier to teach kids at TJ (as everyone here calls it) than at the local regular high school. I'd actually be more interested in a ranking of schools that have to take anyone, maybe based on test scores going in versus test scores coming out.
 
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Here's the full list:

http://www.newsweek.com/high-schools/americas-top-high-schools-2015

My towns school (New Providence High) is #68 which puts it 5th in NJ for regular public schools not counting the County wide schools who get to select students. As mentioned above comparing the County schools to a town school is not a fair comparison. However for those able to get into a County Academy its a great education - elite private school instruction at zero cost.
 
This is a dubious list since these are highly selective schools.
The students attending these schools are the best of the best.
 
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Even when you look at the top 100, New Jersey dominates. There are a lot of smart kids in New Jersey even when people are fleeing New Jersey. They probably have more kids percentage wise in the Ivy League schools than other states.
 
People are fleeing NJ for retirement. People stay in NJ for the opportunities.
 
rutgersdave said:
Even when you look at the top 100, New Jersey dominates. There are a lot of smart kids in New Jersey even when people are fleeing New Jersey. They probably have more kids percentage wise in the Ivy League schools than other states.
Click to expand...
I can't speak for other parts of the state but I was pleasantly surprised to see how many from the Monmouth County ones were going (not just accepted but actually enrolling) to Rutgers.
 
List seems to be missing schools and out of whack with NJ Monthly. No Biotechnology High School in Freehold on the list, which in NJ Monthly ranked #1 ahead of High Tech? No Rumson-Fair Haven or Pasack Hills (Montvale), which are ranked in the NJ Monthly top 10? No LIvingston or Tenafly on the list, which are top 20 in NJ Monthly? Northern Highlands in Allendale is #3 on NJ Monthly, but 275 on this list? Glen Rock is #9 on NJ Monthly but #195 on this list? Marlboro is #285 but #9 in NJ Monthly.

Did Rivals do this ranking? :flush:
 
Here are the NJ schools:
  1. High Technology High School, Lincroft (2)
  2. Academy For Mathematics Science And Engineering, Rockaway (3)
  3. Union County Magnet High School, Scotch Plains (4)
  4. Bergen County Academies, Hackensack (5)
  5. Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies, Edison (7)
  6. Academy Of Allied Health And Science, Neptune (9)
  7. Academy For Allied Health Sciences, Scotch Plains (11)
  8. Millburn High School, Millburn (13)
  9. Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health & Biomedical Sciences, Woodbridge (21)
  10. Academy For Information Technology, Scotch Plains (24)
  11. Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro, Teterboro (28)
  12. Ridge High School, Basking Ridge (37)
  13. Holmdel High School, Holmdel (41)
  14. Hillsborough High School, Hillsborough (42)
  15. Marine Academy Of Science And Technology, Highlands (62)
  16. New Providence High School, New Providence (68)
  17. Chatham High School, Chatham (69)
  18. Bernards High School, Bernardsville (70)
  19. Summit Senior High School, Summit (80)
  20. Union County Tech, Scotch Plains (83)
  21. Haddonfield Memorial High School, Haddonfield (84)
  22. Cherry Hill High School East, Cherry Hill (85)
  23. Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood (102)
  24. Hopewell Valley Central High School, Pennington (107)
  25. Cresskill High School, Cresskill (109)
  26. Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School, Bridgewater (118)
  27. Marine Academy Of Technology And Environmental Science, Manahawkin (121)
  28. Northern Valley Regional High School At Demarest, Demarest (127)
  29. Sparta High School, Sparta (141)
  30. Watchung Hills Regional High School, Warren (142)
  31. Morris County School Of Technology, Denville (147)
  32. Academy For Performing Arts, Scotch Plains (149)
  33. West Morris Central High School, Chester (151)
  34. Randolph High School, Randolph (164)
  35. Mahwah High, Mahwah (169)
  36. Moorestown High School, Moorestown (171)
  37. Dr. Ronald McNair High School, Jersey City (172)
  38. West Morris Mendham High School, Mendham (180)
  39. Glen Rock High School, Glen Rock (195)
  40. Montville Township High School, Montville (212)
  41. Northern Valley Regional Old Tappan High School, Old Tappan (241)
  42. Mountain Lakes High School, Mountain Lakes (248)
  43. Wayne Hills High School, Wayne (259)
  44. West Essex High School, North Caldwell (274)
  45. Northern Highlands Regional High School, Allendale (275)
  46. Marlboro High School, Marlboro (285)
  47. Metuchen High School, Metuchen (288)
  48. Voorhees High School, Glen Gardner (320)
  49. Allentown High School, Allentown (329)
  50. North Hunterdon High School, Annandale (347)
  51. River Dell Regional High School, Oradell (354)
  52. Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington (357)
  53. Fair Lawn High School, Fair Lawn (426)
  54. Hanover Park High School, East Hanover (478)
  55. Whippany Park High School, Whippany (483)
  56. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, Scotch Plains (485)
 
Knight Shift said:
Here are the NJ schools:
  1. High Technology High School, Lincroft (2)
  2. Academy For Mathematics Science And Engineering, Rockaway (3)
  3. Union County Magnet High School, Scotch Plains (4)
  4. Bergen County Academies, Hackensack (5)
  5. Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies, Edison (7)
  6. Academy Of Allied Health And Science, Neptune (9)
  7. Academy For Allied Health Sciences, Scotch Plains (11)
  8. Millburn High School, Millburn (13)
  9. Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health & Biomedical Sciences, Woodbridge (21)
  10. Academy For Information Technology, Scotch Plains (24)
  11. Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro, Teterboro (28)
  12. Ridge High School, Basking Ridge (37)
  13. Holmdel High School, Holmdel (41)
  14. Hillsborough High School, Hillsborough (42)
  15. Marine Academy Of Science And Technology, Highlands (62)
  16. New Providence High School, New Providence (68)
  17. Chatham High School, Chatham (69)
  18. Bernards High School, Bernardsville (70)
  19. Summit Senior High School, Summit (80)
  20. Union County Tech, Scotch Plains (83)
  21. Haddonfield Memorial High School, Haddonfield (84)
  22. Cherry Hill High School East, Cherry Hill (85)
  23. Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood (102)
  24. Hopewell Valley Central High School, Pennington (107)
  25. Cresskill High School, Cresskill (109)
  26. Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School, Bridgewater (118)
  27. Marine Academy Of Technology And Environmental Science, Manahawkin (121)
  28. Northern Valley Regional High School At Demarest, Demarest (127)
  29. Sparta High School, Sparta (141)
  30. Watchung Hills Regional High School, Warren (142)
  31. Morris County School Of Technology, Denville (147)
  32. Academy For Performing Arts, Scotch Plains (149)
  33. West Morris Central High School, Chester (151)
  34. Randolph High School, Randolph (164)
  35. Mahwah High, Mahwah (169)
  36. Moorestown High School, Moorestown (171)
  37. Dr. Ronald McNair High School, Jersey City (172)
  38. West Morris Mendham High School, Mendham (180)
  39. Glen Rock High School, Glen Rock (195)
  40. Montville Township High School, Montville (212)
  41. Northern Valley Regional Old Tappan High School, Old Tappan (241)
  42. Mountain Lakes High School, Mountain Lakes (248)
  43. Wayne Hills High School, Wayne (259)
  44. West Essex High School, North Caldwell (274)
  45. Northern Highlands Regional High School, Allendale (275)
  46. Marlboro High School, Marlboro (285)
  47. Metuchen High School, Metuchen (288)
  48. Voorhees High School, Glen Gardner (320)
  49. Allentown High School, Allentown (329)
  50. North Hunterdon High School, Annandale (347)
  51. River Dell Regional High School, Oradell (354)
  52. Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington (357)
  53. Fair Lawn High School, Fair Lawn (426)
  54. Hanover Park High School, East Hanover (478)
  55. Whippany Park High School, Whippany (483)
  56. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, Scotch Plains (485)
Click to expand...
I'd be shocked if Hillsborough's avg AP score of 4.9 was accurate as it's about a point higher than other much more well regarded schools with much higher SATs. Seems like that data point is inaccurate for Hillsborough & may have skewed their ranking higher than it should be.
 
Knight Shift said:
Here are the NJ schools:
  1. High Technology High School, Lincroft (2)
  2. Academy For Mathematics Science And Engineering, Rockaway (3)
  3. Union County Magnet High School, Scotch Plains (4)
  4. Bergen County Academies, Hackensack (5)
  5. Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies, Edison (7)
  6. Academy Of Allied Health And Science, Neptune (9)
  7. Academy For Allied Health Sciences, Scotch Plains (11)
  8. Millburn High School, Millburn (13)
  9. Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health & Biomedical Sciences, Woodbridge (21)
  10. Academy For Information Technology, Scotch Plains (24)
  11. Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro, Teterboro (28)
  12. Ridge High School, Basking Ridge (37)
  13. Holmdel High School, Holmdel (41)
  14. Hillsborough High School, Hillsborough (42)
  15. Marine Academy Of Science And Technology, Highlands (62)
  16. New Providence High School, New Providence (68)
  17. Chatham High School, Chatham (69)
  18. Bernards High School, Bernardsville (70)
  19. Summit Senior High School, Summit (80)
  20. Union County Tech, Scotch Plains (83)
  21. Haddonfield Memorial High School, Haddonfield (84)
  22. Cherry Hill High School East, Cherry Hill (85)
  23. Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood (102)
  24. Hopewell Valley Central High School, Pennington (107)
  25. Cresskill High School, Cresskill (109)
  26. Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School, Bridgewater (118)
  27. Marine Academy Of Technology And Environmental Science, Manahawkin (121)
  28. Northern Valley Regional High School At Demarest, Demarest (127)
  29. Sparta High School, Sparta (141)
  30. Watchung Hills Regional High School, Warren (142)
  31. Morris County School Of Technology, Denville (147)
  32. Academy For Performing Arts, Scotch Plains (149)
  33. West Morris Central High School, Chester (151)
  34. Randolph High School, Randolph (164)
  35. Mahwah High, Mahwah (169)
  36. Moorestown High School, Moorestown (171)
  37. Dr. Ronald McNair High School, Jersey City (172)
  38. West Morris Mendham High School, Mendham (180)
  39. Glen Rock High School, Glen Rock (195)
  40. Montville Township High School, Montville (212)
  41. Northern Valley Regional Old Tappan High School, Old Tappan (241)
  42. Mountain Lakes High School, Mountain Lakes (248)
  43. Wayne Hills High School, Wayne (259)
  44. West Essex High School, North Caldwell (274)
  45. Northern Highlands Regional High School, Allendale (275)
  46. Marlboro High School, Marlboro (285)
  47. Metuchen High School, Metuchen (288)
  48. Voorhees High School, Glen Gardner (320)
  49. Allentown High School, Allentown (329)
  50. North Hunterdon High School, Annandale (347)
  51. River Dell Regional High School, Oradell (354)
  52. Hunterdon Central Regional High School, Flemington (357)
  53. Fair Lawn High School, Fair Lawn (426)
  54. Hanover Park High School, East Hanover (478)
  55. Whippany Park High School, Whippany (483)
  56. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, Scotch Plains (485)
Click to expand...
It looks like New Jersey High Schools are the best in the country (over 20%) followed by California and New York. Another reason why so many NJ students attend out of state schools because they probably get the highest % of scholarship and grants.
 
There's something perverse about these public high school rankings. In any case, go Pompton Lakes Cardinals....unranked, but number one in our hearts.
 
I'd like to see someone put this list side-by-side against a list of NJ wealthiest towns. Then a third list that ranks the most spending per school.
 
late knight said:
I'd like to see someone put this list side-by-side against a list of NJ wealthiest towns. Then a third list that ranks the most spending per school.
Click to expand...
There's a strong correlation between the Nj wealthiest towns and the best schools but it's not only the spending. The richest people tend to have the smartest kids in general.
 
Of course, having lazy, over paid teachers in NJ doesn't account for any of this success. The kids achieve in spite of their teachers.
 
Of course this list explains why Christie is at war with teachers and public education.Obviously education reform is primarily about creating profit from a sector where traditionally it hasn't existed yet.
 
rutgersdave said:
There's a strong correlation between the Nj wealthiest towns and the best schools but it's not only the spending. The richest people tend to have the smartest kids in general.
Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure about them having the smartest kids (there's not actually as strong a correlation between intelligence and wealth as you might expect), but I do think that wealthy and college-educated parents have higher expectations for their kids and their kids get more opportunities for educational enrichment. (Better educated households tend to read more, for instance.)
 
Bill 86 said:
My son loves magnets.
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One of my favorite responses ever. So meaningless, so distracting, so purposely missing the point, yet so IDGAF, all at the same time. It starts well, middles well, and finishes well. 98 points.
 
BeKnighted said:
I'm not 100% sure about them having the smartest kids (there's not actually as strong a correlation between intelligence and wealth as you might expect), but I do think that wealthy and college-educated parents have higher expectations for their kids and their kids get more opportunities for educational enrichment. (Better educated households tend to read more, for instance.)
Click to expand...

Bingo! I live in one of the very upscale towns whose high school made that list. One look around my town shows no fewer than twelve different private educational companies. The companies span the educational experience from reading nannies for preschoolers to SAT bootcamps. In between there is Cumon, Mathnasium, Huntington and Berlitz. With that type of outside support available AND a wealth level that allows for its access, there is no excuse for not being successful.
 
BigLou said:
Here's the full list:

http://www.newsweek.com/high-schools/americas-top-high-schools-2015

My towns school (New Providence High) is #68 which puts it 5th in NJ for regular public schools not counting the County wide schools who get to select students. As mentioned above comparing the County schools to a town school is not a fair comparison. However for those able to get into a County Academy its a great education - elite private school instruction at zero cost.
Click to expand...

Big Lou - how do you like New Providence as a town? My wife and I are living in Hoboken, but with a baby we're getting ready to make the suburb move. We grew up near NP, and obviously the schools are great, so it's high on our list. Any pros/cons, or anything else to mention... or is it just a solid NJ Suburb?
 
It seems the list is only public schools and leaves out privates. As someone who has worked across the country NJ has an advantage of getting kids to college but we are not smarter than other parts of the country.

These ratings are probably subjective because College enrollment rate and graduation rate make up 45% of the score. Add another 10% for student drop out rate and you are at 55%. Thus the wealthier towns in NJ should be close to 100% in these 3 categories, especially since college enrollment rate can include community colleges. A family from a middle to upper class town will make sure their kids go to some kind of college, even if not top tier vs. poorer communities where only the top kids go to college. The counselor to student ratio of another 10% is a direct correlation to school spending. Again NJ spends so they have more counselors. SAT scores and the AP composite are only 35% of the overall score.

They are not looking at outside programs offered by a school or long term #s like a % that goes to graduate school. If a school that is tremendous in all these criteria has no after school programs (ie. sports, a play, clubs, etc...) then they are not a well rounded school. Also, how are special needs students factored in?

Ratings criteria:
  • College Enrollment Rate—25 percent
  • Graduation Rate—20 percent
  • Weighted AP/IB/Dual Enrollment composite—17.5 percent
  • Weighted SAT/ACT composite—17.5 percent
  • Student Retention (change in student enrollment between 9th and 12th grades; this measure is intended to control for dropout rates)—10 percent
  • Counselor-to-Student Ratio—10 percent
 
newell138 said:
My niece was #1 in her class at High Tech HS in Lincroft a few years back and chose RU!! She is now pursuing her masters at UNC.
Click to expand...

What year didid she graduate? My daughter niece and nephew all graduated over the last few years
 
late knight said:
I'd like to see someone put this list side-by-side against a list of NJ wealthiest towns. Then a third list that ranks the most spending per school.
Click to expand...

There might actually be an inverse correlation since the wealthiest towns tend to be more conservative and thus they spend less. Furthermore, and perhaps a better explanation for the inverse correlation, is that wealthy towns tend to get very little $ from Trenton which can be used to fund local spending.

To be clear, I'm saying that there might be an inverse correlation between spending and ranking.
 
rutgersdave said:
It looks like New Jersey High Schools are the best in the country (over 20%) followed by California and New York. Another reason why so many NJ students attend out of state schools because they probably get the highest % of scholarship and grants.
Click to expand...

So many go out of state because we have so few seats available AND NJ residents can afford out of state tuition. It's no coincidence that parents must submit financial aid applications when applying for admission ...........
 
late knight said:
I'd like to see someone put this list side-by-side against a list of NJ wealthiest towns. Then a third list that ranks the most spending per school.
Click to expand...

I read somewhere that Camden spends about 27K per student and the graduation rate is probably around 50% if not worse. Obviously this is probably the most extreme in the state but spending $$ doesn't always equal success, it starts with the parents, rich or poor.
 
gmay8 said:
Big Lou - how do you like New Providence as a town? My wife and I are living in Hoboken, but with a baby we're getting ready to make the suburb move. We grew up near NP, and obviously the schools are great, so it's high on our list. Any pros/cons, or anything else to mention... or is it just a solid NJ Suburb?
Click to expand...

Been in NP for 21 years. Raised 2 kids, my daughter is currently in HS. Mostly all pro's- great schools, nice small town vibe, great youth sports programs for kids which lead to good HS sports (for a Group 1). Very easy to commute - 2 train stations both on the Gladstone Branch. Plenty of train station parking ($300 annual parking fee but you can also pay quarterly). Also Bus to NYC but with mid town direct available many more people take the train. Not too far out so if you are driving somewhere to work the commute is not too bad - access to both Rt 78 and 24 - easy to GSP, NJTP and Rt 287. Also good medical care available with the large Summit Medical Group basically being along the NP border in Berkeley Heights
Its more affordable than most of the surrounding towns - the average sales price of homes (I happened to look up on Zillow earlier today) is about $200K less than Chatham or Summit. The reason is that many homes in NP were 1960's style Cape Cods or Split Levels, not exactly the most charming type of house. Many have been updated and you should see a price difference on any that were not.
The only negative is that. like most towns in the area, real estate taxes are not cheap. I like to say that in Union County, money runs down hill. I think our current municipal government is doing their best to take advantage of whatever County grants they can get and also sharing services with surrounding towns.
All in all I think NP gives better value than the towns with the fancier names that surround it.
 
MCY said:
There might actually be an inverse correlation since the wealthiest towns tend to be more conservative and thus they spend less. Furthermore, and perhaps a better explanation for the inverse correlation, is that wealthy towns tend to get very little $ from Trenton which can be used to fund local spending.

To be clear, I'm saying that there might be an inverse correlation between spending and ranking.
Click to expand...

I don't agree with the thought that conservatives spend less. What a true conservative wants is to spend his or her money locally - meaning spend it on the schools your kid goes to as opposed to sending it to Trenton or Washington.

Furthermore, the notion that the kids of wealthier people are smarter is also not the answer. However, the idea that parents in higher income areas choose to get more involved with their children's education may be true. Parent involvement equals higher quality schools.
 
BigLou said:
I don't agree with the thought that conservatives spend less. What a true conservative wants is to spend his or her money locally - meaning spend it on the schools your kid goes to as opposed to sending it to Trenton or Washington.

Furthermore, the notion that the kids of wealthier people are smarter is also not the answer. However, the idea that parents in higher income areas choose to get more involved with their children's education may be true. Parent involvement equals higher quality schools.
Click to expand...

You might not agree, but where I live (HS #37) we have one of the lowest per pupil spending rates in the state. Granted it's a data point of one, but I think you will find that high achieving towns are not spending their way towards achievement, at least not directly. Private tutoring, etc., yea we probably are spending more.

Finally I do agree that I would rather my $ stay local than go to the black holes of Trenton or Washington.
 
BigLou said:
I don't agree with the thought that conservatives spend less. What a true conservative wants is to spend his or her money locally - meaning spend it on the schools your kid goes to as opposed to sending it to Trenton or Washington.

Furthermore, the notion that the kids of wealthier people are smarter is also not the answer. However, the idea that parents in higher income areas choose to get more involved with their children's education may be true. Parent involvement equals higher quality schools.
Click to expand...

Conservatives spending less is laughable. Just look at how money is squandered at the County level in Monmouth County. My town is a wealthy, conservative stronghold. We have pretty high property taxes. Our athletic fields pale in comparison to surrounding towns. Our school infrastructure is just OK. Maintenance of our streets, curbs and sidewalks is pretty far below surrounding towns. The town next to us has completed a street scape improvement project with new sidewalks, crosswalks, streetlights, etc. Our sidewalks and curbs are crumbling and dangerous in some spots. Our Borough Administrator makes slightly less than Gov. Christie, and we have a Treasurer who makes quite a bit too. Compare to a similar town, Manasquan, where the Borough Admin and the Treasurer are the same person, making $50K less than the one in my town.

Kids of wealthy people are not smarter. I grew up very lower middle class. I don't know why, but I was the only of 3 kids who excelled in school. Wealthier parents usually have one parent who stays home and puts a lot of time and attention into their kids' schooling.
 
MCY said:
You might not agree, but where I live (HS #37) we have one of the lowest per pupil spending rates in the state. Granted it's a data point of one, but I think you will find that high achieving towns are not spending their way towards achievement, at least not directly. Private tutoring, etc., yea we probably are spending more.

Finally I do agree that I would rather my $ stay local than go to the black holes of Trenton or Washington.
Click to expand...

Given that Ridge has a low spending rate how is it ranked so high? Is it that only people with smart kids live there or might the fact that more affluent people tend to get more involved with the schools which in turn keeps the administrators and teachers on their toes which leads to better schools. I think the latter is the more likely reason/.

Edit - The State average per pupil spending is a little over $19K. In Basking Ridge/Bernards Twp the per pupil spend was $17,357 which is less than average bout not really near the bottom which is at b or below $15K.

New Providence, also highly ranked spent $16,772.
 
Last edited:
BigLou said:
Given that Ridge has a low spending rate how is it ranked so high? Is it that only people with smart kids live there or might the fact that more affluent people tend to get more involved with the schools which in turn keeps the administrators and teachers on their toes which leads to better schools. I think the latter is the more likely reason/.

Edit - The State average per pupil spending is a little over $19K. In Basking Ridge/Bernards Twp the per pupil spend was $17,357 which is less than average bout not really near the bottom which is at b or below $15K.

New Providence, also highly ranked spent $16,772.
Click to expand...

One thing not mentioned in this thread so far; more affluent towns have fewer outside problems being brought into the schools. Higher income communities are more stable, have lower crime rates, lower poverty rates and fewer ESL students. That relieves the school of having to deal with many non-educational issues and spend more resources on actual instruction.
 
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