Some Alachua County schools recognized for high achievement by U.S. News & World Report

Eight schools in Alachua County have been ranked as top high schools in North Central Florida, with two being named among the best in the state.

The U.S. News & World Report, 2023-24 Best U.S. High School Rankings, features 618 Florida high schools.

Alachua County Public Schools as a whole, with 18 high schools in the district, has 9,210 high school students. The district’s average college readiness score is 34.5 out of 100. It has a 53% reading proficiency average, a 32% mathematics proficiency average and a 61% science proficiency average.

Around 18,000 schools were ranked by U.S. News & World Report based on performance and college preparation. Schools are ranked using a methodology with six factors that include college readiness, college curriculum breadth, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance and graduation rate.

P.K. Yonge

The only high school in the UF Lab School District, P.K. Yonge, ranks as the highest school among Alachua County high schools.

• No. 38 in Florida

• No. 1 in the Gainesville area

• No. 573 in the nation

Magnet school: No

Enrollment: 513 students

Graduation rate: 100%

College Readiness Index: 67.5 out of 100, No. 49 in the state

Overall Score: 96.76/100

Most notably, the school’s College Readiness Index, which is the proportion of 12th graders that took and passed at least one AP or IB exam, almost doubled from last year.

Here's how Alachua County Public Schools ranked:

F.W. Buchholz High School

• No. 54 in Florida

• No. 1 among Alachua County public high schools

• No. 2 in the Gainesville area

• No. 822 in the nation

Magnet school: Yes

Enrollment: 2,472 students

Graduation rate: 97%

College Readiness Index: 62.9 out of 100, No. 55 in the state

Overall Score: 95.35/100

Zoning concerns: Parents express concerns about transportation, diversity with new zoning maps for schools

Eastside High School

• No. 103 in Florida

• No. 2 among Alachua County public high schools

• No. 3 in the Gainesville area

• No. 1,506 in the nation

Magnet school: Yes

Enrollment: 1,175 students

Graduation rate: 93%

College Readiness Index: 61.9 out of 100, No. 58 in the state

Overall Score: 91.18/100

Gainesville High School

• No. 158 in Florida

• No. 3 among Alachua County public high schools

• No. 4 in the Gainesville area

• No. 2,525 in the nation

Magnet school: Yes

Enrollment: 1,871 students

Graduation rate: 88%

College Readiness Index: 44.7 out of 100, No. 138 in the state

Overall Score: 85.72/100

Santa Fe High School

• No. 292 in Florida

• No. 4 among public Alachua County high schools

• No. 5 in the Gainesville area

• No. 5,563 in the nation

Magnet school: Yes

Enrollment: 1,112 students

Graduation rate: 90%

College Readiness Index: 31.7 out of 100, No. 246 in the state

Overall Score: 68.53/100

Unaffected? Did Hurricane Idalia do any damage to Alachua County schools?

Professional Academy Magnet at Loften High School

• No. 300 in Florida

• No. 5 among public Alachua County high schools

• No. 6 in the Gainesville area

• No. 5,683 in the nation

Magnet school: Yes

Enrollment: 263 students

Graduation rate: 96%

College Readiness Index: 19.4 out of 100, No. 396 in the state

Overall Score: 67.86/100

Newberry High School

• No. 345 in Florida

• No. 6 among public Alachua County high schools

• No. 7 in the Gainesville area

• No. 6,809 in the nation

Magnet school: Yes

Enrollment: 676 students

Graduation rate: 98%

College Readiness Index: 20.6 out of 100, No. 377 in the state

Overall Score: 61.49/100

Hawthorne Middle/High School

• No. 539-618 in Florida

• No. 7 among public Alachua County high schools

• No. 12-13 in the Gainesville area

• No. 13,261-17,680 in the nation

Magnet school: No

Enrollment:  261 students

Graduation rate: 100%

College Readiness Index: N/A

Overall Score: Less than 25

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: U.S. News & World Report ranks Alachua County high schools