Newsweek's Top High Schools [Archive]

View Full Version : Newsweek's Top High Schools

ginosoprano09

10-12-2009, 13:05

US News and World Report put out the list for this year's top high schools.

( http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2009/12/09/americas-best-high-schools-gold-medal-list.html )

How many schools with an FRC team are in the top 100?

This has always been a thread worth discussing:

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59882
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=77601
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20878
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38007

Chris is me

10-12-2009, 13:16

The number 2 school on that list is apparently the home of 469.

I'm a little scared that I caught that immediately.

Rick TYler

10-12-2009, 13:27

#10 is FRC 492
#29 is VRC 417 (was VRC 10D)
#72 is FRC 948
#78 is FRC 949

Ian Curtis

10-12-2009, 14:27

#59 (Maine School of Science and Mathematics) doesn't have any teams, but has several FRC alumni (who participated before switching schools), and occasionally volunteers at Maine's FLL tournaments.

Doug G

10-12-2009, 14:35

#67 is Gunn High, FRC #192
#83 is Palo Alto High, FRC #8
#93 is Saratoga High, FRC #649
#98 is Lynbrook High, FRC #846

Alex Cormier

10-12-2009, 14:38

Well, spots 69 and 84 and teaming up to make a rookie team this year. Watch out! ;)

EricH

10-12-2009, 14:40

Akash Rastogi

10-12-2009, 14:45

If all goes well, then #11 High Tech High will have an FRC team soon.;)

#31 Stuyvesant High in NYC is home of 694 StuyPulse

kmitchell

10-12-2009, 15:49

#36 is Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, CA. FRC 2489

SteveJanesch

10-12-2009, 15:54

#18 The Early College at Guilford is the anchor (with ~3 other high schools) for FRC 1533 Triple Strange.

ginosoprano09

10-12-2009, 16:33

I apologize for giving the thread a misleading title. As you may have noticed, the list is actually on the US News and World Report website. Newsweek tends to put out a list too; which is why I got confused. Thanks for the PM asking for a clarification.

Lil' Lavery

10-12-2009, 17:12

There are a couple of others that I think have teams, but I'm not sure which teams. (#1, #10, #21, #58, #73, #78, #79, #81)

#1, Thomas Jefferson HS, does NOT have a FIRST team at any level. They do have a Botball team.

rachakate

10-12-2009, 17:30

# 69 - Pittsford NY is a rookie team this year. 3181

dtengineering

10-12-2009, 20:39

I'd take these lists and rankings with a grain of salt. Okay... a dump truck of salt.

While I'm sure there are some very good schools on the list, the ranking is based on a pretty arbitrary set of criteria.

When a local "think tank", the Fraser Institute published rankings for high schools in British Columbia, it turned out that for the 18 high schools here in Vancouver there was an 80% correlation between parental education levels and the school's "score".

So as I've mentioned in previous posts, I'd consider this list to be kind of like a "Hollywoods Hottest Actors" list... intersting, fun to discuss, and a compliment to those who are on it... but highly arbitrary and hardly significant.

Jason

keehun

10-12-2009, 21:00

I'd take these lists and rankings with a grain of salt. Okay... a dump truck of salt.

Highly seconded. Our high school (note: PUBLIC) puts out the most number of National Merits anywhere in MN, and beats most other stat's top schools. It's because we have way too many "other factors" that bring the rating down that we aren't on that list (I see that it's AP, but still...) While I highly congratulate schools on the list, it means nothing to me.

GaryVoshol

11-12-2009, 07:39

Tom Line

11-12-2009, 08:48

I find the ranking system serverely flawed when some of those schools are conglomerations of a number of schools: the schools banded together to create another school where they only allow students with extremely GPA's to attend and only in very limited numbers.

That's not to say it isn't a GREAT idea on the school district's part to help their kids out in that manner. It's merely a reflection that the 'measurement' system in this case is garbage when they compare a normal public school to an academy of the 'best of the best' that were hand picked.

Big grain of salt, indeed.

The schools on that list do have a right to be proud though - they're obviously doing something very right!

P.S. - Our robotics team comes from an academy - a conglomeration of schools who only send their better students. So obviously I'm not against it - just the measurement system that compares apples to oranges.

Ian Curtis

11-12-2009, 10:31

I have seen lists where you only get on the list if someone at the school submits an application or returns a request for information. The list in effect is "The 10 best students in the metro area out of the 127 that applied", not "The 10 best". (I have no idea if this list was generated that way or not.)

At the very least, a school has to agree to participate. My high school (#59, MSSM) has been on the list since 2007, but I know that he had to okay us being ranked. At the very least, I can say I'm very happy with the education I received. :)

Here you can see the number of schools in a state versus the number who are ranked. (http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2009/12/09/americas-best-high-schools-state-by-state-statistics.html)

It's also worth noting that this data lags a bit, it's based off of the AP scores of the graduating class of 2008.

Jon Jack

11-12-2009, 11:49

If all goes well, then #11 High Tech High will have an FRC team soon.;)

Actually, High Technology High already had a FIRST team, but they folded after the 2003 season to compete in a underwater robotics competition (not sure which). I've worked with an alumnus who was on their FIRST team and spearheaded the effort to compete in the underwater competition.

I agree with Jason, this list is pretty arbitrary and not very credible.

An example:
High Tech High (not to be confused with the aforementioned school) has never made this list. Yet schools from around the world, including many on this list, spend weeks at High Tech High figuring out how they can replicate its success at their school. I'm not saying High Tech High should be #1, but certainly it deserves placement on this list in my opinion...

gblake

11-12-2009, 19:55

#1, Thomas Jefferson HS, does NOT have a FIRST team at any level. They do have a Botball team.However at least one of TJHS' students is a member of a Vex team that owns a few trophies.

David Brinza

12-12-2009, 02:59

#3 had FRC 1135 (not competing any more); not sure of VRC or FTC numbers. Also FLL.
#22 has FRC 687.
#32 has FRC 812.
#67 has FRC 192.
#70 has FRC 115.
#80 is in FRC 2404, IIRC.
#83 has FRC 8.

There are a couple of others that I think have teams, but I'm not sure which teams. (#1, #10, #21, #58, #73, #78, #79, #81)

I also noticed the #2 school, Chris.

Actually, #80 has FRC2429 (2008 Rookie All-Star in Los Angeles). FRC2404 was Rookie All-Star at the same event. BTW, their schools are less than 2 miles apart.

darkember

12-12-2009, 21:06

375 is ranked #34 but we agree along with teams 1346 and 1718 that these numbers are arbitrary, and statistical data can be manipulated. What really counts is the education you receive not the ranking.

Trent B

13-12-2009, 11:31

I went to the drop down hit search schools by state and picked Minnesota. Eden Prairie High School isn't even on the State List so it goes to show that not all schools are being represented and thus the presence of or lack of a school on a list should be taken with a grain of salt.

preussrobotics

17-12-2009, 14:07

#32 is Team 812....The Preuss School at UCSD