U.S. News & World Report has released its ranking of the country’s top high schools, and nearly 400 Indiana schools made the rankings.
To determine its top schools, U.S. News & World Report pulled information from statewide standardized testing results, graduation rates, College Board and International Baccalaureate exam data and the U.S. Department of Education’s Common Core of Data.
In its review of about 25,000 public schools, 395 Indiana schools made the rankings. The top-ranked schools were found to have a high rate of students who scored above the average in math, science and reading assessments, passed college-level exams and graduated in four years.
The U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings of high schools and colleges have long faced criticism for the method of ranking schools. For many states, the schools ranked at the top are in wealthier, whiter communities.
The top 10 high schools in central Indiana and the state also fall into this pattern.
Five of the top 10 best high schools in Indiana are located in areas where the median household income is greater than $100,000, far exceeding the state average income of $66,785, according to Census data.
The top three Indiana high schools all have student populations below 1,000 students and less than 20% of their students qualify for free or reduced lunch, according to IDOE data.
The state’s second-ranked high school, the Indiana Academy in Muncie, is labeled as a “public high school” but students who are residential pay up to $2,700 per school year for room and board fees.
The only schools in the top 10 list for the state that serve a population of 50% or greater students of color are Herron, Speedway and Munster High Schools.
Trending:High school prom tickets aren’t cheap, but they’re paying for more than a gym with balloons
Best Indiana high schools
Here are the Top 10 Indiana high schools, according to U.S. News & World Report:
- Signature School (Evansville)
- The Indiana Academy (Muncie)
- West Lafayette Jr./Sr. High School
- Zionsville Community High School
- Herron High School (Indianapolis)
- Carmel High School
- Speedway Senior High School
- Westfield High School
- Munster High School
- Fishers High School
Best Indianapolis area high schools
The site also broke down the best schools in some of the state’s largest metropolitan areas. Here are the Top 10 high schools in the Indianapolis metro area, according to U.S. News & World Report:
- Zionsville Community High School
- Herron High School
- Carmel High School
- Speedway Senior High School
- Westfield High School
- Fishers High School
- Hamilton Southeastern High School
- Avon High School
- Brownsburg High School
- Noblesville High School
Contact IndyStar newsroom development director Holly Hays at holly.hays@indystar.com. Follow her on X/Twitter: @hollyvhays
Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.
Caroline’s reporting is made possible by Report for America and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. Report for America is a program of The GroundTruth Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local newsrooms. Report for America provides funding for up to half of the reporter’s salary during their time with us, and IndyStar is fundraising the remainder. To learn more about how you can support IndyStar’s partnership with Report for America and to make a donation, visit indystar.com/RFA
