6 Littleton Area High Schools Among Best In Country: U.S. News

LITTLETON, CO — Six schools in the Littleton area have been named among the best high schools in the United States, according to a new ranking by U.S. News and World Report.

This year’s list ranks more than 17,800 public high schools throughout the country.

Here are the top local schools and their overall rank:

• Chatfield High School - rank: No. 1,211
• Heritage High School - rank: No. 1,251
• Dakota Ridge Senior High School - rank: No 2,001
• Columbine High School - rank: 2,501
• Littleton High School - rank: 3,987
• Collegiate Academy of Colorado - rank: 7,489

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The purpose of the rankings is to provide insight into academic performance among underserved groups, showing how well schools are supporting these students, Anita Narayan, managing editor of education at U.S. News, said in a news release.

Families can also use the rankings to see how schools compare at the national, state and local level on factors such as graduation rates and college readiness, Narayan said.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, was ranked No. 1 in the nation, as well as among magnet schools.

Here are the top 10 schools in this year’s national Best High Schools ranking:

1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology - Alexandria, Virginia
2. Academic Magnet High School - North Charleston, South Carolina
3. The Davidson Academy of Nevada - Reno, Nevada
4. Payton College Preparatory High School - Chicago, Illinois
5. School for Advanced Studies - Miami, Florida
6. Sumner Academy of Arts and Science - Kansas City, Kansas
7. Merrol Hyde Magnet School - Hendersonville, Tennessee
8. BASIS Chandler - Chandler, Arizona
9. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology - Lawrenceville, Georgia
10. Signature School - Evansville, Indiana

The methodology used for this year’s ranking focused on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates.