U.S. News & World Report Ranks Top High Schools in Indiana

U.S. News & World Report has issued its list of the nation’s best high schools, with nearly 400 Indiana schools cutting.

U.S. News & World Report based its top schools rankings on statewide standardized testing results, graduation rates, College Board and International Baccalaureate exam statistics, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Common Core of statistics. In its study of almost 25,000 public schools, 395 Indiana schools made the list. The top-ranked schools had a high percentage of pupils who scored above average on math, science, and reading evaluations, passed college-level exams, and graduated in four years.

The yearly rating of high schools and universities by U.S. News & World Report has long been criticized for its methodology. Many states’ top-ranked schools are in affluent, whiter regions.

This pattern is also seen in the top ten high schools in central Indiana and across the state.

According to Census data, five of Indiana’s top ten high schools are located in areas with median family incomes greater than $100,000, greatly exceeding the state average income of $66,785.

According to IDOE data, the top three Indiana high schools each had a student body of less than 1,000 pupils, with less than 20% qualifying for free or reduced meals. The state’s second-ranked high school, Indiana Academy in Muncie, is classified as a “public high school,” although residential students pay up to $2,700 per school year in room and board costs. Herron, Speedway, and Munster High Schools are the only schools on the state’s top ten list that serve a population of 50% or more pupils of color.

Best Indiana High Schools

Here are the top ten Indiana high schools, according to U.S. News & World Report.

1. Signature School (Evansville)
2. Indiana Academy (Muncie)
3. West Lafayette Jr./Sr. High School
4. Zionsville Community High School
5. Herron High School(Indianapolis)
6. Carmel High
7. Speedway Senior High Schools
8. Westfield High School
9. Munster High School
10. Fishers High School

Best High Schools in the Indianapolis Area

The website also ranked the top schools in some of the state’s main urban areas. According to US News & World Report, the following are the top ten high schools in the Indianapolis metro area:

1. Zionsville Community High School
2. Herron High School
3. Carmel High School
4. Speedway Senior High School
5. Westfield High School
6. Fishers High School
7. Hamilton Southeastern High School
8. Avon High School
9. Brownstown High School
10. Noblesville High School