These are the top 20 high schools in Indiana, according to U.S. News & World Report rankings

Jenny Porter Tilley, Indianapolis Star
Updated ·2 min read
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Editor's note: This story was originally published in August. We are republishing it as we look back at some of our most-read stories of the year.

Several schools in Central Indiana made U.S. News & World Report's latest list of best schools around the state — and one in Evansville was named No. 2 in the nation.

The highest-ranked school in Marion County was Speedway Senior High School, which came in at No. 225 in the nation. Of the 20 top schools in Indiana, five are in Hamilton County.

Schools are ranked based on college readiness; state assessment proficiency; state assessment performance; underserved student performance; college curriculum breadth; and graduation rate.

Here's a look at how Indiana schools fared in the data released for 2023-24.

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U.S. News & World Report's top schools in Indiana

  1. Signature School, Evansville

  2. Indiana Academy, Muncie

  3. Speedway Senior High School, Speedway

  4. West Lafayette Jr./Sr. High School, West Lafayette

  5. Zionsville Community High School, Zionsville

  6. Carmel High School, Carmel

  7. Herron High School, Indianapolis

  8. Westfield High School, Westfield

  9. Munster High School, Munster

  10. Fishers High School, Fishers

  11. Brownsburg High School, Brownsburg

  12. Hamilton Southeastern High School, Fishers

  13. Carroll High School, Fort Wayne

  14. Burris Laboratory School, Muncie

  15. Homestead Senior High School, Fort Wayne

  16. Heritage Hills High School, Lincoln City

  17. Valparaiso High School, Valparaiso

  18. Bloomington High School South, Bloomington

  19. Washington Township Middle/High School, Valparaiso

  20. Noblesville High School, Noblesville

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How useful are the U.S. News & World Report rankings?

These rankings don't give the full story. It doesn't look at how many students are disadvantaged at the schools due to low income, disabilities or living in areas with higher crime rates. The Detroit Free Press spoke to a professor of education policy, Josh Cowen, about the list.

"What they're doing is measuring opportunity," Cowen, who works at Michigan State University, said.

Detroit Free Press reporter Lily Altavena contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Best high schools in Indiana: US News & World Report rankings for 2023-24