Charter Schools Make Strong Showing on America’s Best High Schools List
U.S. Must Accelerate Conditions in Which Quality Schools Can Thrive as Number of School-Aged Children to Increase Over Next Twenty Years
CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
April 23, 2014
Despite making up just six percent of the nation’s public schools, charter schools made a statistically impressive showing on U.S. News & World Report’s list of America’s Best High Schools, on newsstands this week.
Charter schools account for 24 percent of the top 100 high schools on the 2014 rankings*. U.S. News & World Report awards gold status to the top 500 schools in its ranking based on highest college readiness, and of these 500 schools, 84 are charter schools, or a total of 17 percent.
“While this is an impressive showing for our nation’s charter schools, it’s essential we don’t rest on our laurels as a nation,” said Kara Kerwin, president of the Center for Education Reform.
“With only 34 percent of U.S. students proficient in reading and math, and an influx of over 11 million students over the next 20 years according to the U.S. Census, we must accelerate the pace at which innovative schools like charter schools are able to address our nation’s educational needs.”
“Regardless of whether one agrees with the criteria for these rankings, as there are many factors that actually determine what constitutes a quality school, the fact that there’s a disproportionately high percentage of charters on this list shows that charters work by bringing badly needed educational options to scores of American families, and it should also bring confidence to policymakers across the nation who are considering improving or expanding their charter school laws,” said Kerwin.
The Center for Education Reform annually ranks the quality of state charter school laws, provides a charter school directory and Parent Power Index with information about schools, and assesses the charter school environment as a whole nationwide in its Survey of America’s Charter Schools publication.
*A list of the 24 charter schools in the top 100:
#2 BASIS Scottsdale (Arizona)
#3 Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology (Georgia)
#5 BASIS Tucson North (Arizona)
#21 Signature School (Indiana)
#24 International Studies Charter High School (Florida)
#25 Pacific Collegiate School (California)
#28 YES Prep North Central (Texas)
#30 IDEA Academy and College Preparatory School (Texas)
#41 KIPP San Jose Collegiate (California)
#42 The Preuss School (California)
#44 American Indian Public High School (California)
#47 Coeur D’Alene Charter Academy (Idaho)
#53 University High School (California)
#55 Hawthorne Math and Science Academy (California)
#59 Lennox Mathematics, Science & Technology Academy (California)
#63 KIPP Austin College (Texas)
#64 Albuquerque Institute of Math & Science (New Mexico)
#66 Peak to Peak Charter School (Colorado)
#67 KIPP King Collegiate High (California)
#81 YES Prep East End Campus (Texas)
#85 Idea Frontier College Preparatory (Texas)
#89 Harding Charter Preparatory High School (Oklahoma)
#95 YES Prep Southeast (Texas)
#100 Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School (Florida)
