Charleston County Academic Magnet High School honored

Charleston Post and Courier
December 18, 2009

Academic Magnet High claimed the top spot among magnet schools nationwide in a ranking of the country’s best high schools released Thursday by U.S. News & World Report.

It’s an improvement from last year when the North Charleston school landed in the No. 2 spot for magnet schools, but the school’s overall ranking dropped three spots to No. 12.

Academic Magnet has dominated the magazine’s scholastic rankings since they began two years ago, and it also repeatedly has been named one of the country’s best schools by Newsweek magazine, earning a No. 12 ranking earlier this year.

U.S. News High School Rankings
America’s Best High Schools: Gold Medal List

The U.S. News & World Report study evaluated 21,786 public high schools using 2007-08 test scores.

The rankings are based on students’ scores compared with the state average, disadvantaged students’ scores compared with similar students statewide and students’ participation in and performance on Advanced Placement tests.

“To be No. 2 last year and to know we’re still improving, that’s always a good thing,” said Academic Magnet Principal Judith Peterson. “This is a dynamic institution.”

Academic Magnet has a highly selective admissions process, and once enrolled, students must take at least four Advanced Placement courses and finish a comprehensive thesis.

Although the high school continues to be lauded for its achievement, Peterson said the only tangible effect has been an increase in applicants from private schools.

U.S. News & World Report recognized two other Lowcountry schools, Charleston County School of the Arts and Garrett Academy of Technology, but did not give them numerical rankings.

The School of the Arts was one of two state schools to receive a silver award, while Garrett Academy earned a bronze. It’s the first time Garrett has been included in this national ranking.

Academic Magnet was the only Palmetto State school to earn a gold-medal ranking, and South Carolina ranked 33rd nationally for its number of silver and gold schools as a percentage of its total high schools. Twenty-two schools in the state were recognized by the magazine.

The 100 high schools with the highest college readiness scores, which measures the degree to which students are exposed to and master college-level material, were ranked and awarded gold medals.

Silver medals went to the remaining 461 top-performing high schools that had strong college readiness index scores.

Bronze medals were awarded to 1,189 schools that had commendable performance on state tests but did not perform well enough on the college readiness index to be identified as a top-performing high school.

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