U.S. News & World Report: 5 Newark High Schools Rank Among Top 150 in New Jersey – TAPinto.net
NEWARK, NJ — Five high schools in Newark made the list of the top 150 2021 Best High Schools in the state by U.S. News & World Report, considered the “global authority in education rankings.”
The top Newark schools in the state include:
- Science Park High School (No. 20)
- Technology High School (No. 35)
- Great Oaks Legacy Charter School (No. 123)
- Essex County Donald M. Payne Senior School of Technology (No. 139)
- Essex County Newark Tech (No. 147)
Following the announcement of the rankings, Newark Public Schools Superintendent Roger León told TAPinto Newark that seeing two district schools place in the top 50 in the state was symbolic of the district’s progress, especially during the pandemic.
“The fact that two of our high schools have demonstrated this type of distinction is absolutely incredible for the district,” León said. “The development that has occurred from the elementary schools that feed into these high schools shows that it’s a collective effort of all the teachers that have been involved.”
From a programmatic standpoint, the superintendent said he believes that the opportunities being provided at both schools is exemplary of what the district can afford students regardless of the high schools that they attend.
Alongside the district schools, Essex County technology schools, Donald M. Payne Senior and Newark Tech, earned the distinction of placing among the top high schools in New Jersey.
Upon the announcement of the rankings, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo commended both vocational schools for their distinction.
“We are extremely proud of our Essex County Vocational Schools,” DiVincenzo said. “Having the Donald Payne School ranked 139th and Newark Tech ranked 147th of New Jersey’s top 150 high schools by U.S. News & World Report is a result of our commitment to providing our students with modern, first-class schools, a dynamic curriculum and the nurturing environment fostered by our teachers, administrators and staff.”
As one of Newark’s charter schools to rank in the top 150, Great Oaks Executive Director Jared Taillefer said the acknowledgment showcases the efforts of the school’s staff and support.
“This news is a testament not only to our rigorous curriculum or our program offerings, but to our goal of improving the lives of children in Newark and beyond,” Taillefer said. “This recognition is achieved because of the extraordinary work of our teachers, who work tirelessly to prepare this generation of students for college and their careers. We’ll continue doing this great work to ensure that every child’s needs are met.”
New Jersey accounted for 424 high schools out of more than 17,800 high schools included from throughout the country in the 2021 Best High Schools ranking, which measures “how well schools serve students from various social and economic backgrounds.”
“Families can use the Best High Schools rankings to see how schools compare at the national, state and local level on factors like graduation rates and college readiness,” said Anita Narayan, managing editor of U.S. News education section. “The rankings also provide insight into academic performance among underserved groups.”
The methodology for this ranking focuses on college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates, according to U.S. News & World Report. The data used in the latest edition is from the 2018-2019 academic year, and therefore was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To see how the Newark schools ranked in each category, use the “Find a High School in NJ” here in the search tab and type in the corresponding school name to view their respective school profile.
In order to implement the most comprehensive methodology for the 2021 Best High Schools rankings, U.S. News & World Report worked with global research firm RTI International. To read the full ranking and methodology, visit the site here.