Newsweek Names St. Pete School Among Country’s Best

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — As kids across Tampa Bay return to their academic routines, students at one local high school have the honor of attending one of the best programs in the country. St. Petersburg Collegiate High School was named the 55th best in America, according to rankings released Thursday by Newsweek.

While there are a number of school rankings published as summer comes to a close, Newsweek’s tends to stand out as a college-prep barometer with rankings routinely promoted by schools and school districts that perform well.

And, perform well, St. Petersburg Collegiate High did. The school was only one of 10 in the state of Florida to make the rankings that put a spotlight on hundreds of campuses across the country. Located on the St. Petersburg College Gibbs Campus at 6605 5th Ave. N., the high school serves students in 10th through 12th grades. The 10th grade program is taught by high school teachers with students also taking one or two college courses. The 11th and 12th grade programs are taught by college professors in a dual-enrollment setting.

See also: Newsweek's Top Public High Schools 2016: 10 Florida Schools Make the List

Entry into St. Petersburg Collegiate High is application-based with students going into the 10th grade needing an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher to qualify. They must also pass college placement tests with high marks. Similar requirements are in place for students entering the 11th and 12th-grade program, which is “an accelerated platform for 11th and 12th grade students (dual enrolled) in required college courses for an associate in arts degree,” the school explained on its website.

“The small school setting and family-like atmosphere creates an environment that fosters intellectual growth, respect, and self-discovery,” the website said. “The goal is for every student to meet our mission and realize their educational goals while enjoying all the benefits of both high school and college.”

Newsweek's school rankings are borne of the magazine's research, along with the analytics firm Westat. They use objective measurements to put together the annual ranking of the country’s best high schools.

Newsweek looked at six measurements and weighted them to come up with a “college readiness index.” The rankings are meant to show how well high schools do at preparing students for college.

Those measurements and their weight are:

• Holding power: 10 percent
• Ratio of counselor/full-time equivalent to student enrollment: 10 percent
• Weighted SAT/ACT: 17.5 percent
• Weighted AP/IB/dual enrollment composite: 17.5 percent
• Graduation rate: 20 percent
• College enrollment rate: 25 percent

In all, 6,477 of the nation’s 15,819 public high schools met the criteria to be considered in Newsweek’s rankings.

Newsweek used school performance data from the National Center for Education Statistics to narrow down the list of schools.

Of those 6,477 schools, 4,760 were considered for the overall rankings, while 4,452 made the cut for another list of schools that were “beating the odds.” (Many schools made both lists.)

For the “beating the odds” rankings, a school’s college readiness scores were adjusted for how they compared against other schools that had similar percentages of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. St. Petersburg Collegiate High School ranked 53rd on the Beating the Odds list.

For more information about St. Petersburg Collegiate High School, visit it online. A request for comment from the school was not immediately answered.

To read more about the rankings, visit Newsweek online.

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