U.S. News ranks LASA among best high schools in Texas, nation: Where did yours land?
Austin’s Liberal Arts and Science Academy is still one of the best high schools in Texas, according to the 2023 Best High Schools rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
LASA, a public magnet high school in Austin, was the highest-ranked school in the city and fourth overall in Texas. The school moved up in the national rankings from the No. 34 spot in 2022 to the No. 32 public high school in the United States. It also ranked No. 34 among science, technology, engineering and math schools.
“Having access to a strong high school program is paramount for students as they face an ever-changing world,” said Liana Loewus, managing editor of education at U.S. News & World Report. “Making data on our high schools available helps parents ensure their child is in the educational environment that best sets them up to thrive.”
The highest-ranked school in Texas was the School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas. The Early College at Guilford in Greensboro, N.C., was the top school in the nation.
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Here’s a look at how schools ranked in Austin-area districts and the state:
Top five high schools in Texas:
School for the Talented and Gifted, Dallas
Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women's Leadership School, Dallas
Science and Engineering Magnet School, Dallas
Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Austin
Carnegie Vanguard High School, Houston
Top five Austin-area high schools:
Liberal Arts and Science Academy: No. 4 in Texas , No. 32 in U.S.
Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders: No. 11 in Texas, No. 95 in U.S.
Westlake High School: No. 41 in Texas, No. 299 in U.S.
IDEA Montopolis College Preparatory: No. 49 in Texas, No. 371 in U.S.
Meridian School: No. 56 in Texas, No. 419 in U.S.
Where did your school rank? See the complete list of Austin-area school rankings.
What data were used to rank schools?
The annual list from U.S. News ranks schools based on factors such as graduation rates, how students perform on state assessments, the proportion of 12th graders who get qualifying scores on Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams and the performance of Black, Hispanic and low-income students.
U.S. News sinclude data on 25,000 public high schools from across the country and ranked 2,144 schools and 1,085 districts in the state, including 23 high schools from the Austin Independent School District.
Universities criticize accuracy of rankings
Earlier this year, Harvard Medical School announced that it would end its participation in the U.S. News rankings, joining more than a dozen medical schools and more than 40 law schools.
“Rankings cannot meaningfully reflect the high aspirations for educational excellence, graduate preparedness, and compassionate and equitable patient care that we strive to foster,” Dean George Daley wrote.
While he was president of Earlham College in Indiana, Douglas C. Bennett did not participate in the system, and in 2007 he signed a letter encouraging other leaders in higher education to do the same. Among his complaints were that the rankings measure many factors that don’t necessarily reveal how adept a college is at educating students.
U.S. News, however, has said it will continue ranking schools, whether they provide information to it or not.
USA Today's Chris Quintana and The Hechinger Report's Jon Marcus contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Austin’s LASA lands on U.S. News ‘Best Public High Schools’ ranking
