US News and World Report recently released its rankings of best high schools in New Jersey in 2021. Jersey City Public Schools has two highly ranked high schools on the list. McNair Academic came in at 5th and Infinity Institute ranked 11th.
But how do they decide which high schools are the best? According to their high school ranking methodology, these rankings are based on the following:
- 30% College Readiness – Percentage of high school seniors who took an AP or IB course and/or earned a qualifying score on an AP or IB exam
- 20% Math and Reading Proficiency – scores on state assessments like the PARCC
- 20% Math and Reading Performance – scores on state assessments like the PARCC, adjusted for the racial and economic backgrounds of the student population
- 10% Underserved Student Performance – scores on state assessments like the PARCC for Black, Hispanic, and low income students, relative to the state average
- 10% College Curriculum Breadth – percentage of students who took more than 1 AP or IB course and/or earned a qualifying score on an AP or IB exam
As a result of this methodology, these rankings reflect the type of students entering the high school and the selectivity of the admissions process. And it is important to note that these rankings are thus not necessarily a reflection of the quality of the instruction, but are likely a reflection of the academic environment and the abilities of the student body.
Jersey City Ed 