On April 23, U.S. News and World Report released its 2013 rankings of the best public high schools in America. Of the 21,035 schools evaluated across the country, Aragon ranked 379th. In state rankings, Aragon placed 73rd out of 2,039 schools, making it the top ranked school in the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD). Placement in the top 500 schools nationally earned Aragon a special gold medal distinction based on U.S. News and World Report’s methodology.
To devise the rankings, the U.S. News and World Report works with the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and analyzes a school’s state test scores in comparison to the state average. In order to attain a high ranking, schools must score higher than the state average in math and reading. The ranking process also considers a school’s college readiness, which is measured through AP and IB exam scores.
Despite the gold medal, Aragon’s standing dropped both nationally and within the state of California. In the 2012 rankings, U.S. News & World Report placed Aragon 55th in the state and 277th nationally. Despite this drop, Aragon’s administration is still proud of its rankings. Comments Assistant Principal Jim Coe, “One of the reasons for the drop is that we have a smaller senior class than in past years. Part of the ranking is how many AP exams are taken, so that factored in.”
However, the Aragon administration is not concerned with the lower ranking. Says Coe, “We are very pleased with Aragon’s place this year because Aragon was ranked the top public school in the county. Even though Burlingame and Mills have higher API scores than Aragon does, we still came out on top. That means that Aragon is doing a good job of serving the needs of all students.”
