Byron-Bergen Senior High School was named on the 2019 list of America’s Best High Schools as determined by U.S. News & World Report. To earn this distinction, Byron-Bergen Senior High School ranked in the top 40% of schools nationally, placing in the top third out of the more than seventeen thousand schools.
“This is a very prestigious recognition,” said Byron-Bergen High School Principal Patrick McGee. “We are a small, rural public school district claiming our place among larger districts, charter and magnet schools with rigorous admissions requirements, and elite college preparatory schools.”
According to the publication’s website, the list identifies top-performing high schools based on scoring comprised of six factors:
- College
readiness (30% of the ranking): The
percentage of 12th graders from the class of 2016-2017 who took at least
one AP or IB exam during high school and the percentage of 12th graders
who passed at least one AP or IB exam in high school. Passing is weighted
three times more than taking.
- College
curriculum breadth (10%): The
percentage of 12th graders from the class of 2016-2017 who took a wide
variety of AP and IB courses across the multiple disciplines and the
percentage of 12th graders who passed them. Passing is weighted three
times more than taking.
- Reading and
math proficiency (20%): Measures
how well students scored on state assessments that measure proficiency in
reading and mathematics. Passing these assessments can be required for
graduation. Examples of assessments include Smarter Balanced in California
and STAAR in Texas.
- Reading and
math performance (20%): The
difference between how students performed on state assessments and what
U.S. News predicted based on a school's student body. U.S. News' modeling
across all 50 states and the District of Columbia indicates that the
proportions of students who receive subsidized school lunch, are black and
are Hispanic are highly predictive of a school's reading and math scores.
- Underserved
student performance (10%): How
well the student population receiving subsidized school lunch, and black
and Hispanic populations perform on state assessments relative to
statewide performance among students not in those subgroups.
- Graduation
rate (10%):
For the 2019 rankings, the graduation rate corresponds to the 2017
graduation cohort who would have entered ninth grade in the 2013-14 school
year. The high school graduation rates were collected
directly from each state along with the math and reading assessment data.
“I want to thank all of our staff for this recognition as this is a direct reflection of their hard work,” said McGee.
For more information on Byron-Bergen’s ranking on the U.S. News & World Report list, visit https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/new-york/districts/byron-bergen-central-school-district/byron-bergen-junior-senior-high-school-13565