Newsweek's 1,200 Top High Schools - REVISED

[Lakewooder]

WWWell, I'm glad to report this from an email I just received:

"Thanks to evidence submitted by Woodrow Dean of Instruction Tanya Tovar and work by Jay Mathews of the Washington Post, the Newsweek list of the Top 1,200 High Schools in the Nation has been revised to include Woodrow at #642, which means there are 558 schools behind us on this prestigious ranking. Every school on the list is in the top 5 percent of all American high schools.

Texas has a total of 127 schools on this list. Therefore, we are roughly in the middle to top of the pack of the top 127 high schools in Texas. Woodrow is ranked above not only such Dallas schools as Hillcrest #681, but above Plano East #737 and RISD schools such as Lake Highlands #862 and Richardson #850. Other well-known suburban schools were Carrollton Newman Smith #643 and R.L. Turner #1055; Arlington Martin #1209; Garland Naaman Forest #962, Rowlett #1089; The Colony #791; Euless Trinity #997; Irving's McArthur #727 and Flower Mound Marcus was #995 .

No Frisco high schools were ranked."

[AeroD]

The schools in the 'burbs probably get more funding then Woodrow. And I know an issue that many urban schools raise is that they do not have the resources, i.e. money, to improve education.

So is Woodrow an exception? Are parents of Woodrow students more involved than other parents in DISD? Or does DISD treat Woodrow like Townview?

[Agnus Dei]

Garland High School also had the 215 spot. I was glad to see that.

Like year-end top 10 lists, these rankings are always fun, no matter how flawed their logic is.

[FoUTASportscaster]

The problem isn't money. DISD would qualified under the State's Robin Hood Plan, Dallas would have given mney to the state this upcoming year, before they fixed the system. The problem is demographics in some areas where parents don't get involved like they should. In the D magazine ranking based on AP tests taken and passed, DISD had the bottom 7 of 109 HS's. Those schools bring everything down. If a parent cares, the child will have a good education. That is why suburbs do well. It isn't because they are better so much as it is the parents are more involved, which is why they went to the burbs to begin with.

[sogod]

If a parent cares, the child will have a good education. That is why suburbs do well. It isn't because they are better so much as it is the parents are more involved, which is why they went to the burbs to begin with.

I couldn't agree more.

[moopinator]

Arlington Martin #1209

Maybe that's how I got to be so edge-em-cated! :bounce:

[FoUTASportscaster]

I couldn't agree more.

Score!

[Agnus Dei]

^That's a major (if not the most important) external factor in a child doing well in school. However, part of that has to do with money on a personal level. Wealthier people generally take a more active role in their children's lives for many reasons. It's one of those issues that is part pragmatic and part cultural. And it sort of feeds itself because if your parents were involved you're likely to be involved with your kids, and that's likely to happen if you come from a well-educated and/or wealthy family, etc. It's really aggravating --especially for teachers.

[Lakewooder]

So I guess the parents in Frisco are too busy working...

[FoUTASportscaster]

I don't buy that per say. I can from a poor background and was one of the smartest kids in school. While it helps, if a parent, like my dad did, helps with homework or makes sure I study or communicate with teachers, things my parents all did, then the student will do fine.

I know there are some cases where that won't always be the case, I believe as long as a parent is active in the child, the child will do well.

[Agnus Dei]

I said I agreed with parental involvement being a key factor. I think the only thing that makes a bigger difference is the child's desire to succeed, which you can argue is tied to the parents but I necessarily wouldn't. Anecdotally, however, I've seen upper-middle class parents (and above) be more involved in all aspects of their children's lives. And, in my experience, it's been because of their ability to do so, not because of lower-class parents' lack of desire or disinterest. Of course, everybody's experiences are uniqiue.

As an aside, I hate using "class" as I think it's such a loaded term but I'm lazy tonight.

[sogod]

...I've seen upper-middle class parents (and above) be more involved in all aspects of their children's lives. And, in my experience, it's been because of their ability to do so, not because of lower-class parents' lack of desire or disinterest...

Well, middle class parents AFAIK work just as hard and long as poor families and have just as much time to spend with their kids. Unless I am missing something? Seems to me everyone in America except upper class folks and really really determined people work around 40 hours a week. Maybe there are a couple hours a week difference between classes but its not that much.

[Agnus Dei]

Well, middle class parents AFAIK work just as hard and long as poor families and have just as much time to spend with their kids. Unless I am missing something? Seems to me everyone in America except upper class folks and really really determined people work around 40 hours a week. Maybe there are a couple hours a week difference between classes but its not that much.

I guess it depends what we're talking about in terms of poor vs middle class. In my thinking, middle class has a 40 hour-type work week whereas lower-income has less traditional hours. The involvement includes attending school functions and recreational activities.

[grantboston]

Garland High School also had the 215 spot. I was glad to see that.

Like year-end top 10 lists, these rankings are always fun, no matter how flawed their logic is.

Those rankings were based on my senior year. I'm not going to take credit for it, but infer what you will. ;)

These rankings are actually really silly, GHS was ranked highly because it tests a great number of students in both IB and AP subjects. While that's noteworthy, it doesn't really say how well the students did on the tests.

[FoUTASportscaster]

The D Magazine article based it on % taken AP and IB along with % passed. DISD had the only high school in which every student took and passed one of those exams.

[Lakewooder]

I certainly think that parental involvement in key in the equation. I would say that at Woodrow, the Lakewood- MSteet-Swiss Ave- Hollywood Heights parents have a reputation for being 'over-involved' if that is possible. Some of the teachers run they other way when they approach. A friend who graduated a decade after I coined the term "The Lakewood Momfia" for such mothers.

We never could get away with anything because most of the parents had a network going, they all knew where everyone was, what time they got home, who was driving, etc...and the complete story was exposed before second period the next day.

But there are advantages to this small-town-like pressure and observation. Shades of Hillary's "it takes a village" - because everyone seems to be very interested in the fact that you area 'at Woodrow', whether they are an alum, ex-parent (some of those never leave, either), retired teacher or other extended party.

I was in a very competitive group which had part of its roots as far back as the various East Dallas church kindergartens, all the way through Lakewood Elementary up to high school, where everyone knew if someone made the 'dreaded B' and therefore put his/her eventual class rank in jeopardy.

[Warreng]

By Woodrow, are we talking about Woodrow Wilson?

[Agnus Dei]

Those rankings were based on my senior year. I'm not going to take credit for it, but infer what you will. ;)


You should call the dean and just say, "You're welcome."

[Lakewooder]

We (WW) made the list again - this puts us in the top 2.5% of all schools in the nation in this method of measurement - we are ahead of high schools from Richardson, Plano, McKinney and Frisco.

Here is a list of Texas schools:


http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380


2 Talented and Gifted Dallas Texas 15.953 31 79.1
4 Science/Engineering Magnet Dallas Texas 10.245 50.9 101
15 Highland Park Dallas Texas 6.035 0 65.1
18 North Hills Prep ** Irving Texas 5.563 9 67.6
26 Communications Arts San Antonio Texas 5.245 13 56.8
44 South Texas High School for Health Professions Mercedes Texas 4.551 55.1 54.4
46 Science Academy of South Texas Mercedes Texas 4.543 43 62.7
52 Westlake Austin Texas 4.331 3 69
53 Diamond Hill-Jarvis Fort Worth Texas 4.317 84.5 28.1
77 Westwood ** Austin Texas 3.864 8.2 59.1
88 Paschal Fort Worth Texas 3.705 31 32.5
94 Colleyville Heritage Colleyville Texas 3.675 7.6 33.7
95 LBJ Austin Texas 3.667 45 50
100 Bellaire ** Bellaire Texas 3.608 28 57.9
121 Memorial Houston Texas 3.365 9.3 49.5
127 White Dallas Texas 3.3 70 17.5
170 YES Prep Southeast Houston Texas 2.971 74.6 73.2
179 Grapevine Grapevine Texas 2.927 7.5 43
186 Debakey High School for Health Professions Houston Texas 2.857 48.6 91
189 Alamo Heights San Antonio Texas 2.846 12.7 44.3
217 Plano West Plano Texas 2.69 5 44.4
239 Westside Houston Texas 2.617 35 40.7
241 Stratford Houston Texas 2.611 22 37.7
289 Health Careers San Antonio Texas 2.475 19.1 57.7
295 Lawrence D Bell ** Hurst Texas 2.467 26.2 22.4
298 Garland ** Garland Texas 2.464 45 65
317 Wichita Falls Wichita Falls Texas 2.395 60 23.8
335 High School for Performing & Visual Arts Houston Texas 2.347 13.6 58.7
359 Clements Sugar Land Texas 2.287 2.6 46.2
368 New Braunfels New Braunfels Texas 2.275 47.9 26.9
386 L. C. Anderson ** Austin Texas 2.233 19.3 55.6
399 Rider Wichita Falls Texas 2.202 21 28.9
421 Clear Lake Houston Texas 2.152 7.3 37.1
432 Coppell Coppell Texas 2.13 3 34
446 Winston Churchill San Antonio Texas 2.094 59 27.4
450 Edinburg Edinburg Texas 2.077 80 28.7
453 The Woodlands The Woodlands Texas 2.073 2 48.3
463 Plano Plano Texas 2.056 7 45.7
478 J.J. Pearce Richardson Texas 2.037 18.8 37.4
484 Carroll Corpus Christi Texas 2.033 <1 40.1
489 International School of the Americas San Antonio Texas 2.029 15.4 28.6
518 Woodrow Wilson Dallas Texas 1.986 54 22.6
537 Hillcrest Dallas Texas 1.956 52.8 21.2
541 Trinity ** Euless Texas 1.95 32.3 21.1
560 Clark San Antonio Texas 1.922 25 21.2
589 Lake Travis Austin Texas 1.871 9.7 38.1
592 Valley View Pharr Texas 1.867 96 40.8
608 Burbank ** San Antonio Texas 1.845 83 47.8
619 Boerne Boerne Texas 1.824 13 21.9
622 Turner Carrolton Texas 1.82 55.3 22.8
627 McKinney McKinney Texas 1.807 20.2 24.9
628 Brackenridge San Antonio Texas 1.806 100 8.1
631 McCallum Austin Texas 1.799 35.4 37.7
633 A&M Consolidated College Station Texas 1.793 21.5 35.4
662 McNeil Austin Texas 1.746 14 32.7
675 Newman Smith Carrolton Texas 1.73 39 41.4
679 Richardson Richardson Texas 1.727 37.1 26.7
702 Plano East ** Plano Texas 1.698 19 29
716 Cedar Park Cedar Park Texas 1.683 7 32.9
723 Killeen ** Killeen Texas 1.668 44 12.8
727 Aldine Houston Texas 1.654 74.1 23.6
749 McKinney North McKinney Texas 1.631 20.7 24.9
758 Flower Mound Flower Mound Texas 1.62 2 39.8
762 John Jay San Antonio Texas 1.618 62 10.8
764 James E. Taylor Katy Texas 1.617 8 65.2
780 Alice Alice Texas 1.598 68 4.6
800 Round Rock Round Rock Texas 1.572 23.9 60.7
831 Dripping Springs Dripping Springs Texas 1.539 6.3 43.9
834 M.B. Lamar ** Houston Texas 1.536 41 47
835 Creekview Carrolton Texas 1.534 32 35.9
890 Reagan San Antonio Texas 1.467 1 86
909 Edinburg North North Edinburg Texas 1.445 88 43.8
911 Friendswood Friendswood Texas 1.445 26 30.8
914 Elkins Missouri City Texas 1.443 15 27.3
944 Allen ** Allen Texas 1.42 9 23.5
945 Cinco Ranch Katy Texas 1.42 3.3 39.6
956 James Bowie Austin Texas 1.405 9 32.9
964 Stephen F. Austin Austin Texas 1.391 30 24.1
976 Berkner Richardson Texas 1.38 25.3 26.4
989 Theodore Roosevelt San Antonio Texas 1.365 54 7
991 The Colony The Colony Texas 1.364 19.8 22.7
1016 Ball Galveston Texas 1.338 55 10.7
1033 Denison Denison Texas 1.321 42 17.6
1037 W. Charles Akins Austin Texas 1.316 56.3 18.7
1040 Sherman Sherman Texas 1.313 56.2 21.2
1044 Lake Highlands Dallas Texas 1.307 33.9 25.9
1054 Northwest Justin Texas 1.295 16.2 12.2
1065 Captain John L. Chapin El Paso Texas 1.286 53.2 16.8
1078 Lubbock ** Lubbock Texas 1.273 69 17.5
1094 David Crockett Austin Texas 1.259 50.4 20.2
1113 Flour Bluff Corpus Christi Texas 1.242 31 14.5
1122 Temple ** Temple Texas 1.234 45.3 17.7
1157 Langham Creek Houston Texas 1.203 25 26.8
1167 Tomball Tomball Texas 1.192 14.4 21.5
1172 Lopez Brownsville Texas 1.183 100 17.5
1175 Simon Rivera Brownsville Texas 1.18 100 20.2
1210 Douglas Macarthur San Antonio Texas 1.145 -- 6.8
1211 Naaman Forest Garland Texas 1.144 -- 16.6
1260 Centennial Frisco Texas 1.098 <1 25.6
1265 Cypress Creek Houston Texas 1.095 18.6 30
« PREV | NEXT »

[Lakewooder]

His rating system for U.S. high schools, the Challenge Index, appears every year in Newsweek and the Post. It has been cited in hundreds of newspapers and magazines since 1998 and was the most-visited feature on the Newsweek.com Web site in 2007.



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Jay Mathews is the education columnist of the Washington Post. He has been with the Post 38 years. He was born April 5, 1945, in Long Beach, Calif., and attended Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, Calif., Occidental and Harvard Colleges and served with the army in Vietnam. He has reported from China and California, and covered the stock market in New York. He has written books about China, about disability rights, about the famous Los Angeles math teacher, Jaime Escalante, and about the lack of challenge in American high schools.

His rating system for U.S. high schools, the Challenge Index, appears every year in Newsweek and the Post. It has been cited in hundreds of newspapers and magazines since 1998 and was the most-visited feature on the Newsweek.com Web site in 2007.



Mathews' best-selling college admissions book, "Harvard Schmarvard," shows why admission to a brand-name school will NOT change your life, and instructs applicants in how to survive the application process with their family and their sense of humor intact. His book, "Supertest: How the International Baccalaureate Can Strengthen Our Schools," describes the IB program's success in transforming ordinary schools, particularly Mount Vernon High in Fairfax County.

His most successful book is his most recent, "Work Hard. Be Nice--How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America." This thrilling and often funny story of how the KIPP schools raised the achievement of impoverished student to new height was published Jan. 20 and quickly became a New York Times bestseller. His column in the Post's Metro section appears each Monday. His online column, "Class Struggle", appears each Friday on the Post's website, www.washingtonpost.com. His "Extra Credit" column appears Thursdays in the Post's Extra sections.

He won the Education Writers Association National Education Reporting Award for a series on retraining autoworkers and the Benjamin Fine Award for Outstanding Education Reporting for both a feature story and a column on standardized testing. In 2005 he received the Eugene Meyer Award, the Washington Post's top honor for distinguished service to the newspaper.

He will talk about the current state of education in our country's quest to build an educated workforce prepared for the global community, highlighting schools, educational models and programs of promise.

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For more information, contact Lindsay Moffett at (214) 712-1945 or lmoffett@dallaschamber.org.

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I'll be there if anyone wants to meet up --- LAKEWOODER

[drycreek]

Hey Lakewooder, where would I go online if I wanted to see a map of the boundries for all DISD schools from elementary, junior high and high school. I'm trying to see what neighborhoods feed into what schools. Is there not a map that just outlines all this and let's you know where each schools disctricts boundries are??

[Vicman]

Hey Lakewooder, where would I go online if I wanted to see a map of the boundries for all DISD schools from elementary, junior high and high school. I'm trying to see what neighborhoods feed into what schools. Is there not a map that just outlines all this and let's you know where each schools disctricts boundries are??

Right here: http://www.dallasisd.org/inside_disd/depts/demo/indexzones.htm - Has zones from 2009-2010 all the way back

[drycreek]

Muchos gracias!!