US News & World Report recently released its annual rankings of all public high schools nationwide.
Those rankings assessed myriad metrics to arrive at their final scores, which were used to rate schools from top to bottom.
Needless to say, the high schools in Schuylkill County did not rank near the top nationally. In fact, the highest-ranked high school in Schuylkill County was only ranked 6,010th nationally.
They didn’t exactly rank very highly among the 665 Pennsylvania high schools either. The highest school here among Pennsylvania schools was 253rd. And most finished in the bottom half among other schools in the state.
How Does US News & World Report Rank Schools?
U.S. News & World Report worked with RTI International, a research company, to do determine its ratings on each school. Here’s how they decided the rankings:
- Counting the Schools: They looked at almost 25,000 high schools. But they only ranked about 17,680. They chose these schools based on how many students were in 12th grade and other factors.
- What They Measured: They used six factors to score each school. Each factor was given a certain weight or importance. Schools got scores between 0 and 100 based on how they did in these six areas:
- College Readiness (30% weight): They checked how many 12th graders took and passed big exams like AP or IB.
- College Curriculum Breadth (10% weight): They looked at how many different subjects the students took and passed in those big exams.
- State Assessment Proficiency (20% weight): They looked at how well students did in state tests on subjects like math, reading, and science.
- State Assessment Performance (20% weight): They compared the school’s test scores with what they expected based on the school’s student backgrounds.
- Performance of Underserved Students (10% weight): They checked how well Black, Hispanic, and low-income students did in state tests.
- Graduation Rate (10% weight): They looked at how many students who started in 9th grade graduated 4 years later.
- Changes This Year: The COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot of things. Some tests in 2020-2021 weren’t taken or had few students taking them because of the pandemic. So, U.S. News used data from 2018-2019 in some cases. They made sure to compare schools fairly based on the data they had.
- How Schools Were Ranked: After getting scores for each factor, they added them up for a total score between 0 and 100. The schools with higher scores were ranked better.
Ranking Schuylkill County High Schools in 2023
Let’s look at how the high schools in Schuylkill County ranked. We’ll start at the top and work to the bottom.
#1 – Blue Mountain High School
Blue Mountain is the top-ranked high school in Schuylkill County. It’s 253rd overall in Pennsylvania and 6,010th nationwide.
Out of a possible score of 100 from USNWR, Blue Mountain has a score of 66.01.
That score is based on the following metrics:
- Took at least 1 AP Exam: 28%
- Passed at least 1 AP Exam: 18%
- Mathematics Proficiency: 64%
- Reading Proficiency: 81%
- Science Proficiency: 63%
- Graduation Rate: 94%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of Blue Mountain High School, click or tap here.
#2 – Pine Grove Area High School
Pine Grove Area is the second-highest ranked high school among Schuylkill County schools.
It’s 293rd overall in Pennsylvania and 6,957th nationwide.
Out of a possible score of 100 from USNWR, Pine Grove Area has a score of 60.65.
That score is based on the following metrics:
- Took at least 1 AP Exam: 39%
- Passed at least 1 AP Exam: 15%
- Mathematics Proficiency: 68%
- Reading Proficiency: 64%
- Science Proficiency: 74%
- Graduation Rate: 95%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of Pine Grove Area High School, click or tap here.
#3 – Schuylkill Haven High School
Schuylkill Haven is the third-highest ranked high school among Schuylkill County schools.
It’s 305th overall in Pennsylvania and 7,349th nationwide.
Out of a possible score of 100 from USNWR, Schuylkill Haven has a score of 58.43.
That score is based on the following metrics:
- Took at least 1 AP Exam: 29%
- Passed at least 1 AP Exam: 16%
- Mathematics Proficiency: 62%
- Reading Proficiency: 79%
- Science Proficiency: 62%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of Schuylkill Haven High School, click or tap here.
#4 – Tamaqua Area High School
Tamaqua Area is the fourth-highest ranked high school among Schuylkill County schools.
It’s 324th overall in Pennsylvania and 7,803rd nationwide.
Out of a possible score of 100 from USNWR, Tamaqua Area has a score of 55.86.
That score is based on the following metrics:
- Took at least 1 AP Exam: 31%
- Passed at least 1 AP Exam: 20%
- Mathematics Proficiency: 61%
- Reading Proficiency: 67%
- Science Proficiency: 55%
- Graduation Rate: 91%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of Tamaqua Area High School, click or tap here.
Those are the 4 schools which rank in the top half among all Pennsylvania high schools.
Now, here is a look at those in the bottom half of Pennsylvania’s rankings.
#5 – Pottsville Area High School
Pottsville Area is ranked 5th among high schools in Schuylkill County. It’s 374th overall in Pennsylvania and 9,368th nationwide.
Out of a possible score of 100 from USNWR, Pottsville Area has a score of 47.01.
That score is based on the following metrics:
- Took at least 1 AP Exam: 21%
- Passed at least 1 AP Exam: 13%
- Mathematics Proficiency: 59%
- Reading Proficiency: 70%
- Science Proficiency: 52%
- Graduation Rate: 88%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of Pottsville Area High School, click or tap here.
#6 – Williams Valley High School
Williams Valley is ranked 6th among high schools in Schuylkill County. It’s 381st overall in Pennsylvania and 9,558th nationwide.
Out of a possible score of 100 from USNWR, Williams Valley has a score of 45.94.
That score is based on the following metrics:
- Took at least 1 AP Exam: 12%
- Passed at least 1 AP Exam: 6%
- Mathematics Proficiency: 45%
- Reading Proficiency: 73%
- Science Proficiency: 75%
- Graduation Rate: 85%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of Williams Valley High School, click or tap here.
#7 – North Schuylkill High School
North Schuylkill is ranked 7th among high schools in Schuylkill County. It’s 437th overall in Pennsylvania and 11,386th nationwide.
Out of a possible score of 100 from USNWR, North Schuylkill has a score of 35.6.
That score is based on the following metrics:
- Took at least 1 AP Exam: 17%
- Passed at least 1 AP Exam: 10%
- Mathematics Proficiency: 48%
- Reading Proficiency: 73%
- Science Proficiency: 50%
- Graduation Rate: 82%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of North Schuylkill High School, click or tap here.
#8 – Mahanoy Area High School
Mahanoy Area is ranked 8th among high schools in Schuylkill County. It’s 460th overall in Pennsylvania and 12,208th nationwide.
Out of a possible score of 100 from USNWR, Mahanoy Area has a score of 30.95.
That score is based on the following metrics:
- Took at least 1 AP Exam: 32%
- Passed at least 1 AP Exam: 12%
- Mathematics Proficiency: 40%
- Reading Proficiency: 51%
- Science Proficiency: 48%
- Graduation Rate: 84%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of Mahanoy Area High School, click or tap here.
The remainder of the high schools in Schuylkill County were ranked together at the bottom of national and state rankings.
These schools ranked anywhere between 13,261-17,680 nationally and 507-665 in Pennsylvania. US News & World Report doesn’t distinguish the individual rankings for these schools and these schools’ scorecard scores were not revealed for the rankings.
#9-11 – Minersville Area High School
Minersville Area’s rankings are based on the following metrics:
- Took at least 1 AP Exam: 15%
- Passed at least 1 AP Exam: 11%
- Mathematics Proficiency: 56%
- Reading Proficiency: 57%
- Science Proficiency: 58%
- Graduation Rate: 89%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of Minersville Area High School, click or tap here.
#9-11 – Shenandoah Valley High School
Shenandoah Valley’s rankings are based on the following metrics:
- Mathematics Proficiency: 29%
- Reading Proficiency: 47%
- Science Proficiency: 34%
- Graduation Rate: 87%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of Shenandoah Valley High School, click or tap here.
#9-11 – Tri-Valley High School
Tri-Valley’s rankings are based on the following metrics:
- Mathematics Proficiency: 78%
- Reading Proficiency: 66%
- Science Proficiency: 68%
- Graduation Rate: 95%
To see more details on USNWR’s evaluation of Tri-Valley High School, click or tap here.
| Rank | School Name | Score | PA Rank | Nationwide Rank | Took 1+ AP Exam | Passed 1+ AP Exam | Math Proficiency | Reading Proficiency | Science Proficiency | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Mountain High School | 66.01 | 253 | 6,010 | 28% | 18% | 64% | 81% | 63% | 94% |
| 2 | Pine Grove Area High School | 60.65 | 293 | 6,957 | 39% | 15% | 68% | 64% | 74% | 95% |
| 3 | Schuylkill Haven High School | 58.43 | 305 | 7,349 | 29% | 16% | 62% | 79% | 62% | 91% |
| 4 | Tamaqua Area High School | 55.86 | 324 | 7,803 | 31% | 20% | 61% | 67% | 55% | 91% |
| 5 | Pottsville Area High School | 47.01 | 374 | 9,368 | 21% | 13% | 59% | 70% | 52% | 88% |
| 6 | Williams Valley High School | 45.94 | 381 | 9,558 | 12% | 6% | 45% | 73% | 75% | 85% |
| 7 | North Schuylkill High School | 35.6 | 437 | 11,386 | 17% | 10% | 48% | 73% | 50% | 82% |
| 8 | Mahanoy Area High School | 30.95 | 460 | 12,208 | 32% | 12% | 40% | 51% | 48% | 84% |
| 9-11 | Minersville Area High School | N/A | 507-665 | 13,261-17,680 | 15% | 11% | 56% | 57% | 58% | 89% |
| 9-11 | Shenandoah Valley High School | N/A | 507-665 | 13,261-17,680 | N/A | N/A | 29% | 47% | 34% | 87% |
| 9-11 | Tri-Valley High School | N/A | 507-665 | 13,261-17,680 | N/A | N/A | 78% | 66% | 68% | 95% |
