From the Tribune staff reports
TRUSSVILLE — The annual ranking of best public high schools in America by U.S. News and World report was released on Tuesday. Within the Tribune coverage area, one school, Hewitt-Trussville High School, made the top twenty list in Alabama at No. 16.
Birmingham Metro area high schools ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
The report included a subset of best high school rankings in the four largest metro areas in Alabama consisting of Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery.
Five of the eight high schools in the Tribune coverage area, Hewitt-Trussville High School at No. 7, Shades Valley High School at No. 12, Moody High School at No. 13, Springville High School at No. 15, and Leeds High School at No. 16 were ranked in the top sixteen out of 67 high schools in the Birmingham Metro area.
The report uses data from multiple years to compile the rankings. Among the factors considered were an average proficiency in math, reading, and science in academic years 2016-17 through 2018-19 and the graduation rate for 2019-20.
Also considered in the rankings were the number of students taking and passing Advanced Placement tests. The percentage and performance of economically disadvantaged students in each school also factored into the rankings.
Leading the Birmingham Metro area rankings were Mountain Brook High School followed by Vestavia Hills High School, Homewood High School, Spain Park High School and Oak Mountain High School.
Rounding out the top 15 were Ramsay High School, Hewitt-Trussville High School, Helena High School, Hoover High School, Thompson High School, Oneonta High School, Shades Valley High School, Moody High School, Chelsea High School, and Springville High School.
Among Tribune area high schools in the Birmingham Metro rankings, Leeds High School landed at No. 16 with Pinson Valley High School making the rankings at No. 33. Clay-Chalkville was No. 34 in the Birmingham Metro area and Center Point High School was ranked in the No. 45-62 category.
Hewitt-Trussville’s seventh place Birmingham Metro ranking showed the school had a math proficiency of 73%, a reading proficiency of 68%, and a science proficiency of 67%. The graduation rate was 97%. Fifty-nine percent took at least one AP test and 41% passed at least one AP test with a qualifying score.
The rankings breakdown showed HTHS with a No. 5 state ranking for College Readiness Index and College Curriculum Breadth Index. The school placed at No. 15 for State Assessment Proficiency and No. 46 for Graduation.
Hewitt-Trussville came in the State Assessment Performance ranking at No. 189 in Alabama. The ranking factored performance on state assessment testing while giving consideration that HTHS has the third lowest percentage of economically disadvantaged students in Alabama.
Shades Valley’s twelfth place Birmingham Metro ranking showed the school had a math proficiency of 45%, a reading proficiency of 52%, and a science proficiency of 52%. The graduation rate was 93%. Twenty-four percent took at least one AP test and 9% passed at least one AP test with a qualifying score.
The rankings breakdown showed SVHS with a No. 125 state ranking for College Readiness Index and College Curriculum Breadth Index of No. 124. The school placed at No. 45 for State Assessment Proficiency and No. 177 for Graduation.
Shades Valley came into the State Assessment Performance ranking at No. 10 in Alabama. The ranking factored performance on state assessment testing while giving consideration that 57% of SVHS students are economically disadvantaged.
Moody’s thirteenth place Birmingham Metro ranking showed the school had a math proficiency of 50%, a reading proficiency of 55%, and a science proficiency of 56%. The graduation rate was 93%. Forty-five percent took at least one AP test and 13% passed at least one AP test with a qualifying score.
The rankings breakdown showed MHS with a No. 71 state ranking for College Readiness Index and College Curriculum Breadth Index of 69. The school placed at No. 50 for State Assessment Proficiency and No. 164 for Graduation.
Moody came into the State Assessment Performance ranking at No. 85 in Alabama. The ranking factored performance on state assessment testing while giving consideration that 38% of MHS students are economically disadvantaged.
Springville’s fifteenth place Birmingham Metro ranking showed the school had a math proficiency of 59%, a reading proficiency of 58%, and a science proficiency of 64%. The graduation rate was 94%. Thirty-five percent took at least one AP test and 20% passed at least one AP test with a qualifying score.
The rankings breakdown showed SHS with a No. 51 state ranking for College Readiness Index and College Curriculum Breadth Index of 50. The school placed at No. 29 for State Assessment Proficiency and No. 138 for Graduation.
Springville came into the State Assessment Performance ranking at No. 212 in Alabama. The ranking factored performance on state assessment testing while giving consideration that 21% of MHS students are economically disadvantaged.
Leeds‘ sixteenth place Birmingham Metro ranking showed the school had a math proficiency of 46%, a reading proficiency of 43%, and a science proficiency of 41%. The graduation rate was 93%. Thirty-eight percent took at least one AP test and 23% passed at least one AP test with a qualifying score.
The rankings breakdown showed LHS with a No. 58 state ranking for College Readiness Index and College Curriculum Breadth Index of 32. The school placed at No. 99 for State Assessment Proficiency and No. 168 for Graduation.
Leeds came into the State Assessment Performance ranking at No. 142 in Alabama. The ranking factored performance on state assessment testing while giving consideration that 34% of LHS students are economically disadvantaged.
Pinson Valley‘s thirty-third place Birmingham Metro ranking showed the school had a math proficiency of 25%, a reading proficiency of 38%, and a science proficiency of 30%. The graduation rate was 96%. Twenty-six percent took at least one AP test and 7% passed at least one AP test with a qualifying score.
The rankings breakdown showed PVHS with a No. 135 state ranking for College Readiness Index and College Curriculum Breadth Index of 165. The school placed at No. 254 for State Assessment Proficiency and No. 94 for Graduation.
Pinson Valley came into the State Assessment Performance ranking at No. 233 in Alabama. The ranking factored performance on state assessment testing while giving consideration that 69% of PVHS students are economically disadvantaged.
Clay-Chalkville‘s thirty-fourth place Birmingham Metro ranking showed the school had a math proficiency of 33%, a reading proficiency of 29%, and a science proficiency of 34%. The graduation rate was 90%. Twenty-seven percent took at least one AP test and 9% passed at least one AP test with a qualifying score.
The rankings breakdown showed CCHS with a No. 120 state ranking for College Readiness Index and College Curriculum Breadth Index of 88. The school placed at No. 266 for State Assessment Proficiency and No. 235 for Graduation.
Clay-Chalkville came into the State Assessment Performance ranking at No. 254 in Alabama. The ranking factored performance on state assessment testing while giving consideration that 75% of CCHS students are economically disadvantaged.
Center Point‘s 45-62 place Birmingham Metro ranking showed the school had a math proficiency of 13%, a reading proficiency of 11%, and a science proficiency of 14%. The graduation rate was 87%. Twenty-three percent took at least one AP test and 0% passed at least one AP test with a qualifying score.
The CPHS College Readiness Index, College Curriculum Breadth, State Assessment Proficiency, State Assessment Performance and Graduation rankings were not listed.
Economically disadvantaged students make up 91% of the Center Point High School enrollment.
