North Hills Unranked on U.S. News and World Report's 'Best Schools' List

North Hills Senior High School is unranked in U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings of America's best high schools, which was released earlier this week. 

The number one high school in Pennsylvania is Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School in Philadelphia. Nearby North Allegheny and Quaker Valley school districts ranked in the top 15. 

For U.S. News & World report, schools are evaluated based on overall student performance on state tests, Advanced Placement tests and International Baccalaureate exams; rankings also take into account how well students educate black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students.

"The U.S. News and World Report listing is one measure of student achievement, and when North Hills High School's scores are compared with those on the list, our numbers fall in line with or rise above other area schools included in the listing," said North Hills School Superintendent Dr. Patrick J. Mannarino. "Consistently, our students continue to perform well when compared to their peers across Pennsylvania and the nation, and they have continued that pattern with their achievements so far this school year. In recent days, North Hills High School was one of only six Allegheny County schools to be named one of the Washington Post's Most Challenging High Schools."

When it comes to math and reading, the data shows North Hills scored 3.0 out of 5 for math proficiency and 3.2 for reading based on student Pennsylvania System of School Assessment results.

Mannarino said those numbers don't tell the whole story.

"In just this school year alone, our students topped their peers across the state on all three Keystone Exams by double-digit margins and a record number of students scored 3 or higher to earn college credit on Advanced Placement exams," he said. "SAT scores continued to climb as students scored well above state and national averages." 

The rankings are designed to capture how well high schools educate all of their students and prepare them for college-level work, U.S News at World Report said. 

Rankings are based on several factors: college readiness, math and reading proficiency, and student to teacher ratio.

The high school has a ratio of 11 students to every one teacher, and a college readiness index of 29.0 out of a possible 100, which is based on Advanced Placement exam participation rates and percentages of students passing at least one exam. North Hills' AP participation rate is 35 percent, U.S. News reports. 

Top 15 Pennsylvania high schools, based on U.S. News rankings:

1. Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, Philadelphia

2. Lehigh Valley Academy Reg Charter School, Bethlehem

3. Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, Erie

4. Wyomissing Area Junior/​Senior High School, Wyomissing

5. Conestoga High School, Berwyn

6. Central High School, Philadelphia

7. Upper St. Clair High School, Pittsburgh

8. Radnor High School, Radnor

9. Lower Moreland High School, Huntingdon Valley

10. Unionville High School, Kennett Square 

11. Mt. Lebanon High School, Pittsburgh

12. North Allegheny Senior High School, Wexford

13. Council Rock North Senior High School, Newtown

14. Quaker Valley High School, Leetsdale

15. Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, Pittsburgh

Specifics on North Hills's results are available here.

Learn how U.S. News calculated the Best High Schools rankings 

See the full 2013 U.S. News Best High Schools rankings 

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