Are Urbandale High School Students Getting Prepared for College?

A new report gives Urbandale High School low scores for college readiness.

The U.S. News and World Report analysis released today of high schools around the country, states that Urbandale scored a 12.6 on the college readiness index. The cream of the crop nationally scored 100s on the index, while the top score in Iowa was a 43 by Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

"U.S. News calculated a College Readiness Index based on exam participation rates and percentages of students passing at least one exam," the U.S. News website states.

The nearly 1,200-strong student body scored well with 79 percent proficiency in reading and 80 percent math proficiency. The report states that 19 percent of the student population is economically disadvantaged.

Urbandale didn't make the U.S. News and World Report rankings, which recognizes the top 21 high schools in Iowa, as well as the top 2,000-plus in the nation.

Here's the top 10 high schools in Iowa, according to the report:

1. Cedar Rapids Kennedy
2. Decorah
3. Ames
4. Cedar Falls
5. Linn-Mar (Marion)
6. Mid-Prairie (Wellman)
7. ADM Senior High (Adel)
8. West Liberty
9. Cedar Rapids Prairie
10. Ankeny

And, the tops in the United States:

1. School for Talented and Gifted (Dallas)
2. BASIS Tucson (Arizona)
3. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology (Lawrenceville, GA)
4. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (Alexandria, VA)
5. BASIS Scottsdale (Arizona)