2012 Best High Schools in the U.S. for STEM

U.S. News & World Report today released the 2012 Best High Schools for STEM rankings. For the second year in a row, High Technology High School in New Jersey has claimed the top spot. These rankings are available exclusively online at www.usnews.com/STEMrankings.

The list of 250 schools was pulled from the U.S. News Best High Schools rankings and chosen based on the performance of their AP® (Advanced Placement®) test-taking students in a series of AP math and science classes. AP is a College Board classification of college-level coursework performed by high school students.

Many jobs today and in the future will require proficiency in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM. According to American companies that compete globally, there are not enough qualified STEM workers in the United States, leading to jobs being outsourced. Compared with students from other developed countries, American students have some of the lowest scores in STEM subjects.

“There is a critical need for American students to become skilled in STEM,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News & World Report. “At U.S. News, we are committed to furthering the STEM initiative by providing parents and students with information on where they can find the best high schools for STEM.”

To qualify for the Best High Schools for STEM rankings, a school first had to be ranked with a gold medal in the U.S. News Best High Schools rankings published earlier in May 2012. A total of approximately 500 schools made that cut, and the list was narrowed further based on the proportion of the schools’ 12th grade AP test takers who took and passed AP math and science tests. The highest scoring 250 schools made the final rankings list.

In addition to the new high school rankings, U.S. News will be hosting U.S. News STEM Solutions 2012: A Leadership Summit, in Dallas, from June 27-29. The summit aims to determine the strategies, policies, and changes that need to be made to create a competitive STEM workforce within the United States.

Best High Schools for STEM Rankings

1. High Technology High School (NJ)
2. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (VA)
3. Troy High School (CA)
4. Henry M. Gunn High School (CA)
5. The Charter School of Wilmington (DE)
6. Lynbrook High School (CA)
7. Acton-Boxborough Regional High School (MA)
8. Stuyvesant High School (NY)
9. Monta Vista High School (CA
10. Wayland High School (MA)

For more information about U.S. News Best High Schools for STEM, visit www.usnews.com/STEMrankings or the U.S. News STEM Education Center.