U.S. News Names Ragsdale High as No. 6 school in N.C.

Southern High also makes the annual high

school rankings at No. 32 in state

"U.S. News & World Report has ranked Ragsdale High as the No. 6 school in the state on its 2014 list of Best High Schools. The school is ranked at No. 968 nationally out of more than 19,000 schools.

Joining Ragsdale on the annual list is Southern High, which came in at No. 32 in North Carolina and No. 1,974 nationally.

U.S. News used data from the 2011-12 school year to evaluate schools in three areas: first, the overall performance of students on state tests, and second, high schools that performed better than the state average for least-advantaged students. The third area included reviewing students’ performance on Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate exams to determine college readiness.

Both Ragsdale High and Southern High earned silver medals based on their college readiness index. At Ragsdale, 52 percent of students participate in AP courses; at Southern, that number is 31 percent.

Of the 19,411 schools eligible to be ranked based on these criteria, only 24.2 percent of schools earned either a gold, silver or bronze medal. Ninety-seven schools in North Carolina made the list; two with gold medals, 34 with silver medals and 61 with bronze medals.

Earlier this month, the Washington Post recognized Penn Griffin School for the Arts as one of the Top 100 schools in the nation and No. 2 in the state. Grimsley High, Page High and Weaver Academy were also listed in the state Top 10.

About Guilford County Schools

Guilford County Schools, the third largest school district in North Carolina, serves more than 72,300 students at 126 schools. With approximately 10,000 employees, the district’s mission is to graduate responsible citizens who are prepared to succeed in higher education or the career of their choice. Guilford County Schools is a national leader in providing specialized schools and instructional programs designed to meet the educational needs of a culturally diverse citizenship. For more information, visit the district’s website at www.gcsnc.com."

Submitted Press Release