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My High School was ranked 23rd in the country according to newsweek...does that really have ANY bearing at all? Does this imply that my school is at all competitive? We have some other awards too, some blue ribon from the dept. of education. let me know, thanks!

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 02:13 pm: Edit

The news week rank was just based on how many kids were taking AP classes, NOTHING else. Another award winning system of ranking by U.S. News, go figure...But i suppose that has some bearing in how competetitive your school is, because lots of kids want to take A.P. classes.

By Najy (Najy) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 03:17 pm: Edit

yeah, I figured it didn't mean anything beyond the fact that the principal forces us into APs.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 05:01 pm: Edit

What is your schools average SAT score and what percentage take the test? www.greatschools.com I think that will give you a better indication.

By Mzhang23 (Mzhang23) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 07:35 pm: Edit

my grade's median SAT is a 1460.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 10:43 pm: Edit

thanks mike?

By Alphachimp (Alphachimp) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:40 am: Edit

My high school is arguably one of the best public schools in the country. This year we had more intel semifinalists than any state in the union other than New York (yes, that includes the state of California). Our mean SAT score is in the mid-high 1400s. We consistently take the most annual AP Tests of any school on the planet.

But, we are never listed. Why? Because: a) the rating system is flawed b) the rating system is biased (they want variety every year, not consistently true results)

By Foreignboy (Foreignboy) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:48 am: Edit

"Our mean SAT score is in the mid-high 1400s."

What the?? Wow. What do they put in the cafeteria food?

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 06:18 pm: Edit

Would you guys please name your schools and state? Mike and Rich...

By Najy (Najy) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 07:23 pm: Edit

Mine is Yorktown High School, Northern VA

"High school of Katie Couric" as we "proudly" proclaim every chance we get...cough...

i went to that greatschools website, but the avg SAT was not listed for my school, but I have the idea that its pretty competitive judging from the kids in my AP classes.

By Spacechic20 (Spacechic20) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 07:59 pm: Edit

sat's arent necessarily a great factor in assessing the quality of a high school. i go to a miami public high school, with 778 kids in my grade. many of them are not concerned with school, and would rather do drugs after school thanm study. however, our AP program is one of the best in the country. two years ago we were ranked the number 1 school in the entire southeast united states with regard to science and math APs. i took 6 APs last year,got 5s on 5 of them and a 4 on the other. we send lots of kids to ivys. yet we werent ranked in the list, although i saw that other surrounding schools were, which are much worse than my school. maybe it's because my school is only 6 years old, but the rating means nothing to me after i saw schools that were on it in place of mine. i dont know if colleges think of it in the same light, but theres my 2 cents.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:01 pm: Edit

How can they not show the average SAT scores? My school is Acalanes High School in Lafayette, CA. It's pretty competitive, i guess, so compare it with that. www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/counties/contra_costa_county/cities_neighborhoods/7706491.htm. I mean around here in the Bay Area, it's considered a very good academic institution...that article explains a little bit about the competitiveness. Our school was ranked like 200 something according to U.S. News.

By Mahras (Mahras) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:06 pm: Edit

The highest SAT average I believe in ANY SCHOOL in the US inclusing public and privates is Stuy in new york. It in the high 1400 low 1500 region. The newsweek and Usnews high school ranking dont show school that select over 50% of the students on a merit basis. Thus stuy, bxsci is not there. Stuy had the highest #of intel semis this year followed by montgomery blair (sp?) in maryland.

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:15 pm: Edit

Yeah the only problem with my school, it's filled with a bunch of rich slackers, that'll never have to work a day in there life because of trust funds, otherwise our 1250 SAT average would be much higher. Everywhere I look people aren't reaching their full potential.

By Usna_Reject (Usna_Reject) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:26 pm: Edit

do you all go to rich private schools?
geez my school is from a poor crappy town. But there are a lot of honor students here, just as many as the other kids. Good because there is less competition.

By Chimmortal (Chimmortal) on Thursday, January 15, 2004 - 08:55 pm: Edit

My school's average SAT is 1580. Granted, I'm the only person in my school that took it, but it still counts!

By Najy (Najy) on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 10:09 am: Edit

Christ chimmortal...are you classes held in the back of a U-Haul? It must be small.

I wish my school posted more "avg" info. It would help if I could explain to colleges to nature of the program.

I've taken 8 AP classes in my career, and only 1 or 2 of them proved a challenge to get an A or a B. The rest are no harder than other classes- it's really sad, and gives kids the wrong impression of what a "college course" actually is and will be in college.

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Friday, January 16, 2004 - 11:09 am: Edit

I just attended an Open house at Garfield an inner city public school where students are picked by distance from the school not merit.
They have as many National Merit scholars as Lakeside a tony prep school Bill Gates attended.
Their average SAT score was 1200, probably pretty close to the average at a lot of these suburban and private schools.
They are committed to learning for all kids, and the teachers are the most dedicated Ive seen

My daughter who attended prep school is a junior in college, and when she went on the tour with me last night, she said that she wished that she had had the chance to take AP classes. Her school had honors so that they were deeper but narrower focus. Although her school often does not give credit for AP tests, the classes encompass the amount of material as an AP class and she felt that while she couldn't have worked any harder, she would have had more experience in the breadth of material

By Alphachimp (Alphachimp) on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 12:50 pm: Edit

Sure, savedbythebell

Stuyvesant High School
New York City

Just like Mahras said.

By Libsters (Libsters) on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 01:08 pm: Edit

OK, my school wins for lowest avg. SAT score here ... try around an 1100 ( which is above the national avg. by like 70, quite frankly) so I hav eno idea what High schools you people are going to!

By Chewieshooie (Chewieshooie) on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 01:31 pm: Edit

hey... my school's even lower-- 1050. but then we're considered a great high school in GA (metro Atlanta area)

then again GA has the lowest SAT score in the nation...

hey, this means less competition, higher school rankings ^^

By Savedbythebell7 (Savedbythebell7) on Saturday, January 17, 2004 - 04:43 pm: Edit

We have a 1250 SAT average and we don't have an admission process. If you can afford to live here, you can go to school here, that's just how it is.

I think Stuy is the most known public High School in the Nation, even my dad has heard of it.

By Nhpitcher17 (Nhpitcher17) on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 11:43 am: Edit

Is there a link to these rankings, because I can't seem to find one.

By Nhkane (Nhkane) on Monday, January 19, 2004 - 10:49 pm: Edit

Here's the link for 2003:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/education/shoulders/challenge/2003nationalindex.htm

By Alphachimp (Alphachimp) on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 03:30 pm: Edit

ahahaha, seriously.

everytime I look at that list I laugh more. I have no doubt that a listing is good, but still.

By Garland (Garland) on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 03:37 pm: Edit

My son's high school averages about 920. I guess we win.

By Najy (Najy) on Tuesday, January 20, 2004 - 04:31 pm: Edit

hey, my schools on the washingtonpost list too. i guess we are just sooo brilliant.