Troy High School Rated 8th Best in Michigan

Troy High School was rated the eighth best high school in Michigan in rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

The school has a 19:1 student to teacher ratio, a higher-than-state-average percentage of seniors who took and passed AP exams, and above-state-average proficiency in math and reading, according to the U.S. News data.

"We are proud to be recognized for our efforts to provide all students with the most rigorous college prep academic program possible," said Mark Dziatczak, principal at Troy High School. "THS is fortunate to have a stellar faculty, supportive parents, and dedicated students."

Troy parent Varsha Pathre says the school district's strong reputation is a main reason her family chose to move to Troy about 15 years ago. She has a son in 10th grade at Troy High and her older son graduated in 2010 and is now attending the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

"Because of his background from Troy High he's been able to get into a very good school," she said.

Pathre says her children have been involved in the school's fine arts programs and theater and enjoy the culturally diverse environment.

"I think we made a great decision coming to the Troy School District," she said. "It's been a real pleasure as parents to watch our kids get this education that is so highly rated."

Among Michigan's top ranked schools, International Academy in Bloomfield Hills was rated first, Grosse Pointe South ranked fourth, Birmingham's Seaholm High School was rated fifth in the state and Rochester Adams ranked 11th.

To calculate the ratings, U.S. News partnered with the D.C.-based American Institutes for Research to evaluate schools on overall student performance on state-mandated assessments, as well as how effectively schools educated their black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students.

Performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams was then used to determine the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work.

Read more about how the ratings were calculated here.

More than 21,000 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia were evaluated. Find the full 2013 U.S. News Best High Schools rankings here.