Port Jeff Get High Marks in Washington Post, Newsweek High School Rankings

Port Jefferson School District's  scored well on national lists this year, finishing among the top half of schools in the nation according to the Washington Post Challenge Index, and in the top 200 of Newsweek's list of "America's Best High Schools."

On Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools of 2012, Port Jefferson placed 112th in the nation and 2nd in Suffolk County.

The list is based on six components provided by school administrators: graduation rate (25 percent), college matriculation rate (25 percent), AP/IB/AICE tests taken per student (25 percent), average SAT/ACT scores (10 percent), average AP/IB/AICE scores (10 percent), and AP courses offered per student (5 percent).

Other area school also ranked in the Newsweek list including Ward Melville (266) in East Setauket, Smithtown West (704), Miller Place (768).

In addition, according to the recent results of The Washington Post’s High School Challenge, Port Jefferson ranked 386 out of 1,900 public high schools nationwide, placing 51st in the Northeast, 35th in New York State and 3rd in Suffolk County.

Researchers for The Washington Post analyzed and calculated an index score for each school using the number of college-level tests given at a school in 2011 and divided by the number of graduates that year. Also noted are the percentage of students who come from families that qualify for lunch subsidies and the percentage of graduates who passed at least one college-level test during their high school career, called equity and excellence (E&E).

'As an educational community, we strive to advance curriculum and engage students in differentiated learning," said Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Bossert in a statement about the rankings. "These collaborative efforts from administrators, teachers and support staff foster a supportive atmosphere for students to excel in."

Data from Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools.

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