The top five high schools in the country are all in Arizona, and theyβre all Basis charter schools.
Basis Oro Valley and Basis North Tucson were the third- and fourth-best public high schools in the country, respectively, beat out only by Basis Scottsdale and Basis Chandler, according to U.S. News & World Reportβs 2018 Best High Schools rankings list. The fifth-ranked school in the country was Basis Flagstaff.
The Tucson Unified School Districtβs University High School placed 27th in the country, according to the study, down from 15th last year.
The next-closest high ranker from the Tucson area was Catalina Foothills High School, which clocked in at 670th-best school in the country, up from 798th last year.
The list, published annually, looks at data from more than 20,000 schools focusing on student outcomes with an emphasis on graduation rates and state proficiency tests. Diversity, enrollment, participation in free and reduced-price lunch programs and Advance Placement are also considered.
βTop-ranked schools succeed in three main areas: exceeding expectations on state proficiency tests, offering challenging coursework and graduating their students,β said Anita Narayan, managing editor of education at U.S. News. βWe encourage parents to use the Best High Schools rankings and data to research which schools in their state and nationwide are ensuring students are well-equipped for the future.β
Of the more than 20,000 schools included in the report, roughly 2,700 schools made the list of 2018 Best High Schools. Other Tucson campuses included are:
No. 1,755 β Vail Academy and High School, Vail Unified School District.
No. 1,821 β Empire High School, Vail Unified School District.
No. 2,001 β Cienega High School, Vail Unified School District.
No. 2,115 β Sabino High School, Tucson Unified School District.
