Information provided by Adam Breen, public information-community relations officer at San Benito High School.
For the second year in a row, San Benito High School has been ranked as a “Best High School” by U.S. News & World Report. San Benito High is in the top quarter of high schools in California (ranked 626th out of 2,605) and nationwide (ranked 4,204th out of 17,792 schools).
The school said in a recent release that the latest recognition continues to showcase the academic and student focus of San Benito High, which for the past two years has been named an Honor Roll School by the Educational Results Partnership, was awarded a full, six-year accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and has been recognized by the Special Olympics as a Unified Champion School for two years in a row.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, administration, educators and classified staff, we are so proud to once again be recognized for our collective efforts to ensure all students’ needs are met in and out of the classroom,” said SBHS Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum.
Graduation rates and college readiness, both key factors for the path to higher education, are among the many metrics U.S. News used to determine the 2020 Best High Schools, the release said. U.S. News ranked nearly 18,000 public high schools, out of a review of more than 24,000 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The number of ranked schools is up by more than 500 from last year.
High School Principal Adrian Ramirez said the recognition “continues to validate the support of all of our stakeholders both on campus and in the community. We are especially proud of our students, as they are positively representing our community on both a regional and national level for a second year in a row.”
The ranking methodology draws from data for the 2017-2018 school year, using both state and federal datasets. In addition, the College Board and International Baccalaureate provided data on their respective college-prep programs, Advanced Placement and IB. These are the six indicators of school quality used to calculate the rankings:
- College readiness, based on the proportions of 12th grade students who took and passed AP and/or IB exams.
- College curriculum breadth, based on proportions of 12th grade students who took and passed AP and/or IB exams in multiple content areas.
- Math and reading proficiency, based on student performance on state-required tests.
- Math and reading performance, based on whether performance on state assessments exceeded expectations given the school’s proportion of underserved students.
- Underserved student performance, based on how black, Hispanic and low-income students performed on state assessments compared with those who are not underserved in the state.
- Graduation rates, based on the proportion of students who entered ninth grade in 2013-2014 and graduated four years later.
Each school’s profile page on the U.S. News website shows detailed, school-specific information on enrollment, graduation rates, student body, location, school type, and results of state assessments, as well as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests.
The rankings, which are published online, include an analysis of detailed statistical information including school-specific data on enrollment, diversity, graduation rates, participation in free and reduced-price lunch programs, state assessment results and AP and IB test participation and performance.