Schools
Arthur L Johnson Named A Top NJ High School: U.S. News
The annual ranking released by U.S. News and World Report ranks schools based on factors such as graduation rates and academic performance.

CLARK/GARWOOD, NJ — Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark has been named one of the 150 best high schools in New Jersey, 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.
Among those schools, Arthur L. Johnson High School was ranked 146 in New Jersey and 3,956 nationally.
Find out what's happening in Clark-Garwoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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.
Find out what's happening in Clark-Garwoodfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Several other Union County high schools also made the list for the top 150 New Jersey schools. Below are where they ranked in NJ and the school's name:
- 6. Union County Magnet High School, Union County Vocational-Technical School District, Scotch Plains
- 9. Academy for Information Technology, Union County Vocational-Technical School District, Scotch Plains
- 10. Academy for Allied Health Sciences, Union County Vocational-Technical School District, Scotch Plains
- 13. Elizabeth High School, Elizabeth Public Schools, Elizabeth
- 17. Summit Senior High School, Summit Public School District, Summit
- 30. New Providence High School, New Providence School District, New Providence
- 41. Westfield Senior High School, Westfield Public School District, Westfield
- 49. Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy, Elizabeth Public Schools, Elizabeth
- 62. Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District, Scotch Plains
- 81. Cranford High School, Cranford Public School District, Cranford
- 94. Governor Livingston High School, Berkeley Heights School District, Berkeley Heights
- 146. Arthur L. Johnson High School, Clark School District, Clark
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:
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology - Alexandria, Virginia
- Academic Magnet High School - North Charleston, South Carolina
- The Davidson Academy of Nevada - Reno, Nevada
- Payton College Preparatory High School - Chicago, Illinois
- School for Advanced Studies - Miami, Florida
- Sumner Academy of Arts and Science - Kansas City, Kansas
- Merrol Hyde Magnet School - Hendersonville, Tennessee
- BASIS Chandler - Chandler, Arizona
- Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology - Lawrenceville, Georgia
- 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.
The data used in this edition is from the 2018-2019 academic school year and, therefore, was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more about the Best High Schools methodology.
In addition to the national rankings, U.S. News also published rankings at the state, metro area and school district levels. Only metro areas and school districts with three or more high schools were included in these subrankings.
BASIS Chandler in Arizona is at the top of the list for charter schools, and High Technology High School in Lincroft, New Jersey, is the No. 1 STEM school.
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