U.S. News Ranks Quaker Valley Among Top 15 Pennsylvania High Schools

The coveted U.S. News and World Report rankings of the best public high schools in America released today place Quaker Valley High School at the top.

The annual list ranks Quaker Valley at No. 14 among Pennsylvania's 687 high schools and 645th out of more than 21,000 public high schools nationwide. 

Schools are evaluated based on overall student performance on state tests, Advanced Placement tests and International Baccalaureate exams; rankings also take into account how well students educate black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students, according to a release from U.S. News. 

The rankings are designed to capture how well high schools educate all of their students and prepare them for college-level work, according to U.S. News.

Rankings are based on several factors: college readiness, math and reading proficiency, and student to teacher ratio. Quaker Valley had an average score of 3.1 out of 5 points in math proficiency and 3.4 in reading based on student Pennsylvania System of School Assessment results.

Quaker Valley has a ratio of 13 students to every one teacher, and a college readiness index of 41.2 out of a possible 100, which is based on Advanced Placement exam participation rates and percentages of students passing at least one exam. QV students have the opportunity to take AP coursework and exams. The AP participation rate is 49 percent, U.S. News reports. 

Once all factors were considered, U.S. News also designated the 4,805 highest-scoring schools as gold, silver or bronze; the top 500 schools received gold medals and the next 1,790 received silver.

Quaker Valley received a silver medal.

Top 15 Pennsylvania high schools, based on U.S. News rankings:

1. Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, Philadelphia

2. Lehigh Valley Academy Reg Charter School, Bethlehem

3. Northwest Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy, Erie

4. Wyomissing Area Junior/​Senior High School, Wyomissing

5. Conestoga High School, Berwyn

6. Central High School, Philadelphia

7. Upper St. Clair High School, Pittsburgh

8. Radnor High School, Radnor

9. Lower Moreland High School, Huntingdon Valley

10. Unionville High School, Kennett Square 

11. Mt. Lebanon High School, Pittsburgh

12. North Allegheny Senior High School, Wexford

13. Council Rock North Senior High School, Newtown

14. Quaker Valley High School

15. Pittsburgh Allderdice High School, Pittsburgh

Specifics on Quaker Valley's results are available here.

Learn how U.S. News calculated the Best High Schools rankings 

See the full 2013 U.S. News Best High Schools rankings

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