The Kettle Moraine High School of Health Sciences has been ranked as the best high school in the state of Wisconsin for 2022, according to U.S. News and World Report.
The school, a public charter school on Kettle Moraine High School’s campus in Wales, is part of the Kettle Moraine School District. It was among several suburban Milwaukee high schools in the top 10 in the state, as ranked by the U.S. News and World Report. It was given an overall score of 99.26.
Cedarburg High School ranked second in the state, with a score of 98.69.
Cedarburg School District superintendent Todd Bugnacki said in a district news release that the achievement recognizes “the extraordinary work” of the district’s teachers and students.
“While we don’t seek out these accolades, our schools can celebrate many points of pride,” he said in the release. “Our passionate teachers, committed students, and supportive parents contribute to a healthy and vibrant learning environment.
“We are fortunate to be in a community that values a standard of educational excellence that celebrates everyone’s success. It’s rewarding that our efforts are recognized by respected entities.”
Cedarburg High School principal Casey Bowe said in the release, “Anyone fortunate enough to walk these halls and spend time with our students and staff already knows Cedarburg High School is a special place. Being recognized as one of the very best schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report is confirmation we aren’t unrealistic in our beliefs.
“We want to share our praise with our community, families, and school staff, whose support, hard work, and dedication pave the way for accolades such as this. Of course, the biggest congratulations to all of our students who make us look forward to coming to school every day and whose daily achievement is truly prestigious.”
Whitefish Bay High School took third with a score of 98.61, while New Berlin Eisenhower Middle/High School took fifth with a score of 98.04 behind fourth-place Lakeview Technology Academy in Pleasant Prairie (98.12). Homestead High School in Mequon was sixth with a score of 97.81 to round out the suburban Milwaukee area high schools within the top 10 in the state.
Other high schools in the top 25: Carmen High School of Science and Technology in Milwaukee Public Schools in 10th place (97.33); Brookfield East in 11th (with a score of 97.21); Shorewood in 12th (97.06); Brookfield Central in 13th (97.05); Waunakee in 14th place (96.83); Arrowhead in 15th (96.67); Reagan College Preparatory in 16th (96.29); Pewaukee in 17th place (95.65); Grafton in 18th place (95.36); Platteville in 19th (95.33); New Berlin Middle/High School in 20th place (95.2); Nicolet in 21st place (94.89); Madison West in 22nd (94.71); Sussex Hamilton in 23rd place (94.69); Germantown in 24th (94.64) and Menomonee Falls in 25th (94.42).
How the U.S. News and World Report determines school rankings
U.S. News ranked about 17,840 of nearly 24,000 reviewed public high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It worked with RTI International, a nonprofit social science research firm, and ranked schools based on factors including college readiness, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rate. Schools were ranked among schools in their respective states, as well as nationally and by metropolitan area.
For its 2022 data, U.S. News “adjusted its calculation of these measures to account for the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on schools in the 2019-2020 school year, according to its website.
“With most states closing schools for in-person instruction beginning in March 2020 — typically just before most states conduct assessments — the U.S. Department of Education granted waivers allowing all states to forego state testing for the 2019-2020 school year,” U.S. News said.
To account for the lack of 2019-20 assessment data, U.S. News “relied on historic assessment data from the three prior ranking years while also incorporating for the first time state science assessment data from the 2018-2019 school year to capture a broader measure of student learning.”
U.S. News also used 2019-20 scores of 12th-grade students for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam data to make calculations, according to its website.
To see U.S. News and World Report’s complete list of Wisconsin high schools, visit www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/wisconsin/rankings. For more information on the methodology used to complete the state and national rankings, visit www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/how-us-news-calculated-the-rankings.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or [email protected] Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee area high schools ranked among best in Wisconsin by US News