GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids high school was named the best in Michigan and the 18th best in the country, according to a new national ranking by U.S. News and World Report.
The report evaluated almost 18,000 schools nationwide and ranked three Michigan schools in the top 100 in the nation.
The schools were ranked on six metrics: college readiness, college curriculum breadth, state assessment performance, state assessment proficiency, underserved student performance and graduation rates.
U.S. News and World Report also took into account the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on schools. Typically, schools conduct assessments in the spring, but in 2020 most schools closed for in-person learning and did not test students for that school year. Because of this, they relied on historic assessment data from the three prior ranking years and incorporated state science assessment data from the 2018-2019 school year.
City High/Middle School in the Grand Rapids Public School District earned the honor of best high school in the state and the 18th best high school in the country.
City High/Middle School had a 100% graduation rate, a 98% reading proficiency rate and a 100% participation rate in the school's International Baccalaureate program. The school is also celebrated for having a 50% minority enrollment rate.
Three Michigan high schools were ranked in the top 100 in the country with the International Academy of Macomb in Clinton Twp. ranked 21st and International Academy in Bloomfield Hills ranked 52nd. A total of 11 schools in West Michigan made the top 50 high schools in the state.
Below is a list of the best high schools in Michigan, West Michigan and the nation.
20 Best High Schools in Michigan
- City High/Middle School, Grand Rapids (#18 Nationally)
- International Academy of Macomb, Clinton Twp. (#21 Nationally)
- International Academy, Bloomfield Hills (#52 Nationally)
- Washtenaw International High School, Ypsilanti
- Troy High School, Troy
- Rochester Adams High School, Rochester Hills
- Novi High School, Novi
- Northville High School, Northville
- Grosse Pointe South High School, Grosse Pointe Farms
- Skyline High School, Ann Arbor
- University High School Academy, Lathrup Village
- Athens High School, Troy
- East Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids
- Black River Public School, Holland
- Ernest W. Seaholm High School, Birmingham
- Okemos High School, Okemos
- Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy, Saginaw
- Stoney Creek High School, Rochester Hills
- Pewamo-Westphalia Middle/High School, Westphalia
- Saline High School, Saline
Other West Michigan High Schools Ranked Michigan's Top 50
- City High/Middle School, Grand Rapids (#1)
- East Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids (#13)
- Black River Public School, Holland (#14)
- Northern High School, Grand Rapids (#21)
- Byron Center High School, Byron Center (#24)
- West Michigan Aviation Academy, Grand Rapids (#26)
- Central High School, Grand Rapids (#28)
- Eastern High School, Ada (#29)
- Hudsonville High School, Hudsonville (#37)
- Spring Lake High School, Spring Lake (#39)
- Jenison High School, Jenison (#40)
10 Best High Schools in United States
- Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia
- Academic Magnet High School, North Charleston, South Carolina
- Signature School, Evansville, Indiana
- School for Advanced Studies, Miami, Florida
- Payton College Preparatory High School, Chicago, Illinois
- The Davidson Academy of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
- Central Magnet School, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
- The School for the Talented and Gifted, Dallas, Texas
- Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology, Lawrenceville, Georgia
- Julia R. Masterman Secondary School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
See the entire list of schools here and read more about the methodology used to rank the schools here.
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