Here's How U.S. News Ranked Livingston High School In State And U.S.

Caren Lissner
·3 min read

LIVINGSTON, NJ — New high school rankings from U.S. News and World Report have put Livingston High School in the top 20 schools out of all 445 New Jersey high schools, and in the top 500 out of more than 17,800 schools in the country.

There were also rankings for best high schools in the New York City area, and more.

The top-ranked schools in state and national lists often are magnet or specialized county high schools that can take the top-performing students, and this year's lists are no exception. In fact, the first 11 schools on the list are magnet and county high schools.

Statewide, U.S. News ranked Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies in Edison as the top school.

Some have criticized such lists as only reflecting socioeconomic factors, since well-off students may have access to more educational help and better funded districts. U.S. News said in a release that the 2022 ranking is intended to show how well the nation’s public schools serve all students by teaching them basic skills and preparing them for college-level work.

This year’s schools were ranked on six measures: college readiness, college curriculum breadth, state assessment performance, state assessment proficiency, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance and graduation rates.

The data used in this year’s ranking is from the 2019-20 academic school year, which was impacted by COVID in the last few months. Since many schools suspended their standardized testing, U.S. News considered previous years.

Nationwide, the following New Jersey public high schools appeared in the top 100:

  • Middlesex County Academy for Science, Mathematics and Engineering Technologies, Edison. Ranked 23.

  • Union County Magnet High School, Scotch Plains: Ranked 49.

  • Bergen County Academies, Hackensack: Ranked 61.

  • High Technology High School, Lincroft: Ranked 65.

  • Dr. Ronald E McNair High School, Jersey City: Ranked 68.

  • Middlesex County Academy for Allied Health, Woodbridge: Ranked 69.

  • Biotechnology High School, Freehold: Ranked 80.

  • Bergen County Technical High School - Teterboro: Ranked 93.

Livingston's Rankings, And Nearby Schools

Livingston came in at 19 in the state rankings and 438 nationally. It also came in at 65 in New York City Metro Area Schools. See the rankings and information here.

In terms of non-magnet public high schools in New Jersey, Livingston was seventh.

These public high schools came in higher: Glen Ridge High School, 12 in NJ and 244 nationally; Elizabeth High, 13 and 262; West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, 14 and 293; West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 15 and 339, Summit, 16 and 363, Millburn, 18 and 418. At 20 was Chatham High, ranked 458 nationally.

Read more about the Best High Schools methodology.

In addition to the national rankings, U.S. News also published rankings at the metro area and school district levels. Only metro areas and school districts with three or more high schools were included in these subrankings.

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This article originally appeared on the Livingston Patch