America's Top Public High Schools

[henryBsick]

Team #125

Boston Latin High School
2009: 165
2008: 119
2007: 79
2006: 82

Brookline High School
2007: 1118
2006: 784
2005: 819

[Lil' Lavery]

I was shocked when I didn't see perennial #1 Thomas Jefferson High School at #1 on the list. I was even more shocked when I didn't see them at all. Then I found out they had joined the "elite list" of schools that are not considered because of their magnet/GT status (though others remain in the 1500, the criteria seem arbitrary). While TJHS doesn't have a FIRST team (not for a lack of effort, but the administration values student independence, so they don't like the mentor-based aspects of FIRST), several others on that list do. Maggie Walker Governor's School (422), North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (900), Bronx High School of Science (1155), Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (2022), Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics (1742), Stuyvesant High School (694), and Whitney High School (1135) all have teams (a majority of the "public elite").

Bergen County Academies has a BBIQ team and High Technology High has a MATE team, but no apparent FIRST teams at either. Union County Magnet High School used to have a team (1257), but it disbanded.

As for my alma mater (home of Team 116), Herndon High School placed 164th (19th in Virginia).

[ExarKun666]

La Canada is ranked 231. Our team number is 2429.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

[...] Whitney High School (1135) all have teams (a majority of the "public elite").

WHS doesn't run an FRC team anymore due to (lack of) funding and school support. Their VEX/FTC (not sure which they do these days) is still going strong, as is their FLL team, at least, last I checked they were.

[waialua359]

If we ranked teams based on AP scores, I'm pretty sure we'd be 32xx out of 32xx.
Or not make the list.
Or be dead last of the Hawaii FIRST teams.

[smurfgirl]

Originally Posted by waialua359

If we ranked teams based on AP scores, I'm pretty sure we'd be 32xx out of 32xx.
Or not make the list.
Or be dead last of the Hawaii FIRST teams.

Like I said in my previous post, AP scores are not everything. (This is one of the reasons that I think a lot of the "rankings" of schools locally and across the country are somewhat pointless; there are so many criteria that aren't analyzed that should be, and some that are taken into account that are can be false indicators, like AP scores.)

If what you say is true, then your team is a brilliant example of the point I am trying to prove. Standardized test scores are not always a good indication of someone's ability to understand a subject and apply themselves to a real-world task (like building a robot) or to communicate effectively to make meaningful contributions to the world (like community service).

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by smurfgirl

Like I said in my previous post, AP scores are not everything. (This is one of the reasons that I think a lot of the "rankings" of schools locally and across the country are somewhat pointless; there are so many criteria that aren't analyzed that should be, and some that are taken into account that are can be false indicators, like AP scores.)

If what you say is true, then your team is a brilliant example of the point I am trying to prove. Standardized test scores are not always a good indication of someone's ability to understand a subject and apply themselves to a real-world task (like building a robot) or to communicate effectively to make meaningful contributions to the world (like community service).

If you ever came to Hawaii and asked about a college-prep curriculum at our school, no one would even consider sending their kid to Waialua.
Part of our (robotics program) mission at our school, is trying to change that mentality. Private schools in Hawaii only accept the creme of the crop and you have your fair share of public schools that I refer to as the "public private schools." Almost all of them have FIRST teams now.
The pressure for us to deliver a high-level program to continue to attract high-level sponsorship from large businesses and foundations..................well, lets just say its beyond the roof.
My role on the team has slowly moved from construction team to lead administrator/coordinator/coach/documentation-leader in order to solely work on this aspect of our team.

[Phyrxes]

At our school we have some students that are so competitive with each other that the valedictorian/salutatorian is largely a function of who can get more A's in AP classes. I know we have kids taking 4 to 5 AP classes a year. as Juniors and Seniors and 2 to 3 as Sophomores. Anytime a significant portion of the population is taking that many AP classes (and tests) and usually scoring "okay" or better its skews a list like this.

[Anna B.]

If Burncoat High ever made that list... well... I don't have to worry about that because it's not happening any time soon.

[Ryan Curry]

Originally Posted by Lil' Lavery

....and High Technology High has a MATE team, but no apparent FIRST teams..

HTHS is formerly Team #30 1997-2004. Hopefully some of our NJ BMS friends still remember us....

-Ryan Curry

[James Tonthat]

Team 1477 is (mainly) The Woodlands-College Park, rank 280.