UES High School Ranked Among Best In State: U.S. News

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A public high school on the Upper East Side is among the 20 best in New York state and in the top 100 nationwide, according to a new ranking by U.S. News and World Report.

Eleanor Roosevelt High School on East 76th Street placed 11th in the New York list of the publication's Best High Schools for 2021, an annual ranking of how high schools compare at the national, state and local level.

The high school ranked 81st nationally, among the thousands of schools surveyed this year. Located just off First Avenue, Eleanor Roosevelt has long been considered one of the city's most desirable.

It has come under scrutiny, however, for being inaccessible to students who did already live in the neighborhood, due to the city's district-based admissions system. That system was abolished in December by Mayor Bill de Blasio.

This year's rankings were based on six metrics, including college readiness, proficiency and performance in math and reading, and how well schools support students who are Black, Hispanic and come from low-income households.

Eleanor Roosevelt was not the only Upper East Side school to score a spot on the rankings. Others included:

• Talent Unlimited High School (261st in New York, 2,946th nationally)
• Vanguard High School (433rd in New York, 5,051st nationally)
• Life Sciences Secondary School (below 824th in New York, below 13,394th nationally)

The data used in this edition is from the 2018-2019 academic school year and, therefore, was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rankings may 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.

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

Here's a look at the top 10 public high schools in New York, all of which are located in the five boroughs:

1. Townsend Harris High School, Flushing
2. Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn
3. High School Math Science and Engineering at CCNY, Manhattan
4. Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, Jamaica
5. Bronx High School of Science, Bronx
6. Staten Island Technical High School, Staten Island
7. Stuyvesant High School, Manhattan
8. High School of American Studies at Lehman College, Bronx
9. Brooklyn Latin School, Brooklyn
10. High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies, Manhattan

Patch reporters Anna Quinn and Gus Saltonstall contributed.