Westfield Named Among Top NJ High Schools: U.S. News

WESTFIELD, NJ — Westfield High School has been named among the top 50 high schools in New Jersey, according to a new ranking by U.S. News and World Report.

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

Among those schools, Westfield High School was ranked 41 in the state (see list below) and 992 nationally out 17,857.

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.

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.

New Jersey ended up with eighth high schools in the top 100. READ MORE: U.S. News 2021 High School Rankings: 8 In New Jersey In Top 100

Here are the top 50 high schools in New Jersey, according to U.S. News:

1. Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District, Edison
2. High Technology High School, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Lincroft
3. Bergen County Academies, Bergen County Vocational Technical School District, Hackensack
4. Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health, Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School District, Woodbridge
5. Dr. Ronald E McNair High School, Jersey City Public Schools, Jersey City
6. Union County Magnet High School, Union County Vocational-Technical School District, Scotch Plains
7. Biotechnology High School, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Freehold
8. Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro, Bergen County Vocational Technical School District, Teterboro
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
11. Infinity Institute, Jersey City Public Schools, Jersey City
12. Marine Academy of Science and Technology, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Highlands
13. Elizabeth High School, Elizabeth Public Schools, Elizabeth
14. Glen Ridge High School, Glen Ridge Public School District, Glen Ridge
15. Millburn High School, Millburn Township School District, Millburn
16. Livingston High School, Livingston Board of Education School District, Livingston
17. Summit Senior High School, Summit Public School District, Summit
18. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, Plainsboro
19. Academy of Allied Health and Science, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Neptune
20. Science Park High School, Newark Public School District, Newark
21. Tenafly High School, Tenafly Public School District, Tenafly
22. Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest, Northern Valley Regional High School District, Demarest
23. Chatham High School, School District of The Chathams, Chatham
24. West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South, West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District, West Windsor
25. Ridge High School, Bernards Township School District, Basking Ridge
26. Norther Valley Reg Old Tappen High Schoo, Northern Valley Regional High School District, Old Tappan
27. Montgomery High School, Montgomery Township School District, Skillman
28. Princeton High School, Princeton Public Schools, Princeton
29. Northern Highlands Regional High School, Northern Highlands Regional High School District, Allendale
30. New Providence High School, New Providence School District, New Providence
31. Communications High School, Monmouth County Vocational School District, Wall
32. Pascack Hills High School, Pascack Valley Regional High School District, Montvale
33. Central Jersey College Prep Charter School, Central Jersey College Prep Charter School, Somerset
34. Mountain Lakes High School, Mountain Lakes Public School District, Mountain Lakes
35. Technology High School, Newark Public School District, Newark
36. Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood Public School District, Ridgewood
37. John P. Stevens High School, Edison Township School District, Edison
38. Madison High School, Madison Public School District, Madison
39. Haddonfield Memorial High School, Haddonfield School District, Haddonfield
40. Cresskill High School, Cresskill Public School District, Cresskill
41. Westfield Senior High School, Westfield Public School District, Westfield
42. Ramapo High School, Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District, Franklin Lakes
43. Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School District, Rumson
44. Glen Rock High School, Glen Rock Public School District, Glen Rock
45. West Morris Mendham High School, West Morris Regional High School District, Mendham
46. Mahwah High, Mahwah Township Public School District, Mahwah
47. Kinnelon High School, Kinnelon School District, Kinnelon
48. Columbia High School, South Orange-Maplewood School District, Maplewood
49. Alexander Hamilton Preparatory Academy, Elizabeth Public Schools, Elizabeth
50. Whippany Park High School, Hanover Park Regional High School District, Whippany

Josh Bakan contributed reporting to this story.

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