U.S. News & World Report selects 10 BCPS schools for “Best High Schools” list : Five earn gold medal status on annual roster

TOWSON, MD. – Ten Baltimore County Public Schools made U.S. News & World Report’s “Best High Schools” list of the top public high schools in Maryland and five earned “gold medal” status under the magazine’s system of ranking schools. “Whether we see them included on a national list or experience it first-hand, there can be no doubt Baltimore County has many of the best high schools anywhere. Congratulations to all the schools, staffs and students who earned this latest honor,” said Superintendent Dr. S. Dallas Dance. “Our expectation is that all our high schools be considered among the best in the nation. Until that happens we will not be satisfied and still have much work to do.“ This year’s rankings were culled from data from 21,035 public high schools in 49 states (excluding Nebraska, which did not provide enough data to be included) and the District of Columbia. Partnering with the American Institutes for Research, the magazine analyzed state reading and math assessment scores, demographic information, college-readiness measurements such as AP tests, and other factors. The magazine published “Best High Schools” lists in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2012. A total of 64 (from among 241) high schools in Maryland made the list of the nation’s top schools, including the following Baltimore County high schools:

• Dulaney High School in Timonium (ranked 17 in Maryland /368 nationally) (Gold Medal)
• Eastern Technical High School in Essex (13/272) (Gold Medal)
• George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson (9/242) (Gold Medal)
• Hereford High School in Parkton (21/426) (Gold Medal)
• Loch Raven High School in Towson (42/1,350) (Silver Medal)
• Owings Mills High School in Owings Mills (48/1,643) (Silver Medal)
• Parkville High School in Parkville (56/1,993) (Silver Medal)
• Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts (55/1,968) (Silver Medal)
• Towson High School in Towson (12/268) (Gold Medal)
• Western School of Technology and Environmental Science in Catonsville (30/840) (Silver Medal)

Schools receiving the “Gold Medal” designation mean the school places in the top 500 schools on the survey based on a high degree of student college readiness. A “Silver Medal” means a school is high performing but has a lower degree of student college readiness. A “Bronze Medal” designation goes to high-performing schools based on state assessment performance. In Maryland, Baltimore County is home to about a quarter of all Gold Medal schools. Last year, nine BCPS high schools were included in the U.S. News report. Both Owings Mills and Parkville High Schools were new to the list this year. The full U.S. News & World Report"Best High Schools" list may be found at http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools.