Jackson Hole High School No.1 in Wyoming
Jackson Hole News & Guide
By Brielle Schaeffer,
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
April 29, 2013
Jackson Hole High School tops the state in academics, according to U.S. News and World Report. The magazine released rankings last week that showed the secondary school is the best public high school in Wyoming.
Jackson Hole High School bested No. 2 Sheridan High School in the number of students who take and pass Advanced Placement courses, and pass tests in math and reading.
U.S. News and World Report collected data on more than 21,000 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia. In Wyoming, only Jackson and Sheridan received ratings in the magazine’s assessment.
Jackson Hole High School Principal Scott Crisp noted that the fairness and usefulness of such rankings is often challenged, but still was pleased that the high school was honored.
“I realize there are mixed interpretations of what these rankings mean,” he said, but added, “It is always nice to see how you compare on a national and global scale.”
Jackson Hole High School was ranked 1,159th of high schools in the nation, and received a silver medal from the magazine. Five hundred schools earned gold medals, 1,790 were awarded silver and 2,515 took home bronze, the magazine said.
Administrators calculate that the school is in the top 5.5 percent in the United States.
The school scored a 30 out of 100 on a college readiness indicator, which means 44 percent of students took advanced placement classes and 25 percent passed. Sheridan had a 26.4 rating, which meant 34 percent of students were tested and 24 percent passed.
Jackson’s scores for math and reading showed that about 85 percent of students were proficient in both.
Jackson Hole High School offers 10 Advanced Placement classes: art, environmental science, Spanish, English language, English literature, calculus, biology, physics, government and U.S. history. Jackson students’ participation in AP classes and success on the tests are among the highest in the state.
U.S. News and World Report began ranking public high schools in 2007.
“The methodology for identifying the Best High Schools was developed with a core principle in mind,” the magazine’s website says, “that the best schools must serve all students well and must produce measurable academic outcomes that support this mission.”
The U.S. News and World Report rankings tagged the School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas, Texas, as No. 1 in the nation.
