Methodology: Best High Schools for Math and Science

By Robert J. Morse

U.S.News & World Report's first-ever Best High Schools for Math and Science ranking methodology was developed by U.S. News and is based on the key principle that students at the Best High Schools for Math and Science must take and pass a robust curriculum of college-level math and science STEM courses. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.

To be included in the inaugural U.S. News Best High Schools for Math and Science ranking, a school first had to be listed as either Gold, Silver, or Honorable Mention in the U.S. News Best High School rankings published in December 2009. That meant 598 high schools were eligible to be ranked using data from 2008 graduates.

Those eligible schools were next judged nationally on their level of math and science participation and success using Advanced Placement (AP) STEM course test data as the benchmark. AP is a College Board program that offers college-level courses at high schools across the country. College Board defines STEM Math as APs in Calculus AB; Calculus BC; Computer Science A; Computer Science AB; and Statistics and STEM Science as APs in Biology; Chemistry; Environmental Science; Physics B; Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism; and Physics C: Mechanics.

Math and science success at the high school level was assessed by computing a Math and Science Achievement Index, based on the proportions of students at each school taking and passing math and science college-level courses. The better a high school scored on the Math and Science Achievement Index, the higher it placed in the Best High Schools for Math and Science rankings. The best possible Math and Science Achievement Index was 100. No high school achieved that score.

The first step in the ranking process was to compute the Math Achievement Index. It was derived from two variables: the percentage of 2008 12th graders who took at least one STEM Math AP course during high school--weighted 25 percent, and the percentage of 2008 12th graders who took and passed (received an AP score of 3 or higher) at least one STEM Math AP course during high school--weighted 75 percent.

The next step was to calculate a Science Achievement Index. Much like the math index, it was derived from the percentage of 2008 12th graders who took at least one STEM Science AP course during high school--weighted 25 percent and the percentage of 2008 12th graders who took and passed (received an AP score of 3 or higher) at least one Stem Science AP course during high school--weighted 75 percent.

This means that the methodology weights students taking math and science AP courses at the high school level at 25 percent, and passing those same AP courses at 75 percent. Passing math and science AP courses was three times as important in the rankings as simply taking a math and science AP course.

The final step in the rankings process was to calculate the overall Math and Science Achievement Index, a combination of the Math Achievement Index and the Science Achievement Index. Each index was weighted at 50 percent, and then added together to create composite values that are the Math and Science Achievement Index scores. These scores were then rounded to the nearest 10th place and ranked in descending order. Schools with the same Math and Science Achievement Index scores are listed as tied at the same number rank.

The 208 schools that achieved a value of greater than or equal to 20 in their Math and Science Achievement Index scored high enough to be ranked. This minimum of 20 represents a "critical mass" of students gaining access to and succeeding at AP level math and science course work. Schools that didn't make the ranking list either had a Math and Science Achievement Index of less than 20 or did not offer any math and science AP courses as part of their curricula.

AP® and Advanced Placement® are registered trademarks of the College Board. Used with permission.