Ames High Named “Best” High School in National Report

The 2021 U.S. News and World Report Best High School rankings have been released and Ames High School has been named fifth in the state and 1,431st in the nation. The Ames High earned a “Best” ranking, a commendation reserved for the top 40% of schools in this ranking program. U.S. News “Best” badges are widely recognized as symbols of excellence in U.S. education.

The 2021 U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools rankings are based on data collected from more than 24,000 public U.S. high schools, along with charter, magnet, and STEM schools. A revised methodology from U.S. News uses six ranking factors, each of which are weighted to produce an overall score that the ranking is based on.

The ranking factors measure performance on state math and reading proficiency tests and performance; Underserved student population performance on assessments; college readiness measured by participation in and performance on challenging college-level coursework using Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate examinations; and graduation rates.

Rankings are produced in conjunction with RTI International, a global research firm. U.S. News doesn’t collect data directly from high schools – all data comes directly from official third-party sources. U.S. News receives AP and IB data directly from the College Board and International Baccalaureate, respectively, for use in the rankings. The state assessment data and graduation rates are from each state, and other data comes from the U.S. Department of Education Common Core of Data.