Report: Millburn High Ranked 15th in New Jersey, 225th in Country

Millburn High School dropped three spots to 15th throughout New Jersey in this year's U.S. News and World Report’s Best High Schools ranking released Tuesday.

In the fifth edition of the ranking, Millburn’s national ranking on the list was 225th out of 21,000, down 11 spots from the previous year. The school did receive a gold medal from the publication for how it compared to other schools based on U.S. News ranking criteria.

However in STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, a recent hot topic for the district — Millburn High jumped more than 60 spots nationally to 99th.

Nearby, Summit High School was ranked 18th in the state and Chatham High School dropped six spots in the rankings from last year to 13th.

In Essex County: Livingston ranked 29th, 401st nationally; Columbia High School (South Orange-Maplewood School District) ranked 36th, 757th nationally;

Additionally, West Orange, Montclair, West Essex, West Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Verona, Nutley and Glen Ridge high schools were unranked.

According to the report, 61 percent of Millburn High School participated in AP testing. It has a student to teacher ratio of 14-to-1 with 107 full-time teachers. Out of a total enrollment of 1,492 students, 1 percent of the population is economically disadvantaged.

The story also stated the district tested:

Proficient in Language (district average)

98%

Proficient in Math (district average)

94%

College Readiness (district average)

58.7

Topping the state were:

1. Biotechnology High School in Freehold — Ranked 8th nationally
2. High Technology High School in Lincroft — Ranked 12th nationally
3. Bergen County Academies in Hackensack — Ranked 34th nationally
4. Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School in Jersey City — Ranked 50th nationally
5. Bergen County Technical High School in Teterboro — Ranked 73rd nationally
6. Mdlsx Co Academy in Edison — Ranked 146th nationally
7. Academy for Allied Health Sciences in Scotch Plains — Ranked 159th nationally
8. West Windsor-​Plainsboro High School South in Princeton — Ranked 162nd nationally
9. Academy of Allied Health and Science in Neptune — Ranked 178th nationally
10. Elizabeth High School in Elizabeth — Ranked 183rd nationally

The publication used the same methodogy as 2012 to compile its list of Best High School throughout the country.

According to the magazine, U.S. News partnered with the Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research (AIR), which implemented the rankings methodology.

To determine the Best High Schools national rankings, schools were first analyzed at the state level in terms of how well students in each school performed on state assessments, taking into account the test scores of disadvantaged students (low-income, Hispanic, and black), who tend to score lower on tests.

High schools that made it through this analysis were then eligible to be ranked nationally, in terms of college readiness. U.S. News determines the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work by analyzing student success in Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, both of which include college-level courses.