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DC area’s best high schools highlighted in new national ranking

U.S. News & World Report has released and schools in the Washington, D.C. region are on the list. The rankings evaluate about 18,000 high schools.

“These rankings are, of course of public high schools across the US. … We look at public schools meeting some key metrics in terms of students who have demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math and reading and science state assessments,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor of education at U.S. News & World Report. “Also, students earning qualifying scores on events placement and International Baccalaureate exams, those college level exams and also schools where their students graduated at higher proportions.”

Jones said the rankings offer a starting point for parents to understand a school’s academic performance, whether it’s a prospective school or a school that their student is already attending.

Following , Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology remains the top ranked school in the Washington region and 14th in the nation, . It’s also the 5th ranked STEM school in the nation.

“The top five in this area are — Thomas Jefferson is number one…The School Without Walls, they’re number two. They’re in the District….number two in the metro D.C. area.” Jones said. “Another in D.C. is number three (in the metro area), Benjamin Banneker Academic High School.”

The District’s top high schools are:
  1. School Without Walls High School
  2. Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
  3. Basis DC
  4. District of Columbia International School
  5. McKinley Technology High School
Maryland’s top high schools are:
  1. Eastern Technical High School, Baltimore County
  2. Walt Whitman High School
  3. Poolesville High School
  4. Thomas Wootton High School
  5. Winston Churchill High School
Virginia’s top high schools are:
  1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
  2. Langley High School
  3. Open High School, Richmond
  4. Oakton High School
  5. McLean High School

You can see the schools ranked by state as well as Metropolitan districts at.

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