How Black Horse Pike District Fared In U.S. News Best High School Rankings

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — U.S. News & World Report released its 2023-2024 Best High Schools rankings Tuesday, which included institutions from the Black Horse Pike district.

U.S. News designs the annual rankings to help families compare schools at the national, state and local levels on factors such as academic performance, graduation rates and college readiness. The media outlet reviewed 25,000 schools and ranked 17,680 of them, including 476 in New Jersey.

• Related article: NJ's Top 100 Public High Schools Ranked By U.S. News

In general, the highest-ranked schools had students who performed well on state assessment for math, reading and science, U.S. News said. They also performed strongly in meeting the needs of underserved students, including those who are Black, Hispanic or from low-income households.

The schools had a breadth of curriculum offerings and high graduation rates, and their students performed well on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams. View the methodology here.

U.S. News school rankings have their critics. James Fallows, a former U.S. News editor, even called them "meaningless" in a 2021 interview with NPR.

"The reason they started doing it back in the early 1980s under the guidance of a man named Mel Elfin, was because it was a brilliant business strategy," Fallows said. "By appealing to the human desire for rankings and knowing where you stand and where somebody else stands, they were able to make a very strong part of their business, which is now basically the only part of their business."

However, U.S. News says that the comprehensive data allows parents to make better-informed decisions and assessments regarding their child's education.

"Having access to a strong high school program is paramount for students as they face an ever-changing world," Liana Loewus, managing editor of education at U.S. News, said in a news release. "Making data on our high schools available helps parents ensure their child is in the educational environment that best sets them up to thrive."

U.S. News gave each high school an overall percentile score between 0 and 100. Here's how each school in the Black Horse Pike Regional School District fared.

Highland Regional High School

All ratings:

• 9,522nd nationally
• 294th among New Jersey high schools
• 149th among high schools in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area
• third among Black Horse Pike schools

Scorecard: 46.14 out of 100

• 16 percent took at least one AP exam
• 12 percent passed at least one AP exam
• 26 percent mathematics proficiency
• 48 percent reading proficiency
• 14 percent science proficiency
• 84 percent graduation rate

Timber Creek Regional High School

All ratings:

• 8,203rd nationally
• 266th among New Jersey high schools
• 128th among high schools in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area
• first among Black Horse Pike schools

Scorecard: 53.6 out of 100

• 23 percent took at least one AP exam
• 18 percent passed at least one AP exam
• 34 percent mathematics proficiency
• 44 percent reading proficiency
• 17 percent science proficiency
• 85 percent graduation rate

Triton Regional High School

All ratings:

• 9,173rd nationally
• 290th among New Jersey high schools
• 146th among high schools in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area
• second among Black Horse Pike schools

Scorecard: 48.11 out of 100

• 23 percent took at least one AP exam
• 17 percent passed at least one AP exam
• 32 percent mathematics proficiency
• 41 percent reading proficiency
• 20 percent science proficiency
• 86 percent graduation rate