These Arizona High Schools Are Among 2022’s Best: U.S. News

ARIZONA — BASIS Chandler is the top high school in Arizona, according to a new national ranking by U.S. News and World Report. This year’s list of best high schools evaluated more than 17,800 schools nationwide, including more than 500 in Arizona.

The 2022 ranking of best high schools is intended to show how well the nation’s public schools serve all students, regardless of achievement level, by teaching them basic skills and preparing them for college-level work, according to a news release from U.S. News.

Families can also use the rankings to see how schools compare at the national, state and local levels on factors such as graduation rates and college readiness.

BASIS charter schools dominated the list of top schools in Arizona, making up 10 of the 13 schools in the state that made the list of the top 100 in the nation. BASIS schools are public charter schools that do not charge tuition. The BASIS charter system has been educating middle and high school students since 1998 and began operating elementary schools in 2013.

While thousands of schools were evaluated, these Arizona schools were ranked among the top 100, according to U.S. News:

• BASIS Chandler, Chandler. No. 11.
• BASIS Oro Valley, Oro Valley. No. 27.
• University High School, Tucson. No. 28.
• BASIS Scottsdale, Scottsdale. No. 29.
• BASIS Peoria, Peoria. No. 30.
• University High School, Tolleson. No. 33.
• BASIS Flagstaff, Flagstaff. No. 42.
• BASIS Tucson North, Tucson. No. 54.
• BASIS Ahwatukee, Ahwatukee. No. 56.
• BASIS Phoenix, Phoenix. No. No. 58
• BASIS Mesa, Mesa. No. 66.
• BASIS Prescott, Prescott. No. 81.
• Gilbert Classical Academy High School, Gilbert. No. 86.

This year, the top 15 schools nationally are in 14 different states.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, was ranked No. 1 in the nation, as well as among magnet schools.

Here are the top 10 schools in this year’s national Best High Schools ranking:

1. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology - Alexandria, Virginia
2. Academic Magnet High School - North Charleston, South Carolina
3. Signature School - Evansville, Indiana
4. School for Advanced Studies - Miami, Florida
5. Payton College Preparatory High School - Chicago, Illinois
6. The Davidson Academy of Nevada - Reno, Nevada
7. Central Magnet School - Murfreesboro, Tennessee
8. The School for the Talented and Gifted - Dallas, Texas
9. Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology - Lawrenceville, Georgia
10. Julia R. Masterman Secondary School - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This year’s schools were ranked on six measures: college readiness, college curriculum breadth, state assessment performance, state assessment proficiency, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance and graduation rates.

The data used in this year’s ranking is from the 2019-20 academic school year. U.S. News adjusted its calculation of these measures to account for the impact COVID-19 had on schools in the 2019-20 school year.

Since most states closed schools for in-person instruction starting in March 2020 — typically just before most states conduct assessments — the U.S. Department of Education granted waivers allowing all states to forgo state testing for the 2019-20 school year.

To account for this, U.S. News relied on past assessment data from the
three prior ranking years. Researchers also incorporated state science assessment data from the 2018-19 school year.

Read more about the Best High Schools methodology.

In addition to the national rankings, U.S. News also published rankings at the state, metro area and school district levels. Only metro areas and school districts with three or more high schools were included in these subrankings.

Signature School in Indiana is at the top of the list for charter schools, and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia is the No. 1 magnet school. The Davidson Academy of Nevada is the top STEM school.