Principal: Holmdel High Slighted in Top High Schools Ranking

Holmdel High School was left off of the annual high school ranking published by U.S. News and World Report, despite last year's high ranking.

The 2013 Best High Schools rankings, released this week, can help parents wade through the ever expanding options of public high schools, according to the magazine. U.S. News collected data on more than 21,000 public high schools from 49 states and the District of Columbia, the magazine reported.

Holmdel Principal William Loughran said in an email to parents that he has contacted the publication for an answer.

"The omission is frustrating since the methodology used to determine the top schools was unchanged from a year ago and our scores are almost identical," Loughran wrote. "To go from a 'Gold Medal' distinction to no ranking at all, with almost identical scores, does not make sense."

"Upon learning of the omission, I contacted the magazine and was told, '(we) apologize for the inconvenience. U.S. News is currently experiencing some problems with the site, which is causing the discrepancy in the rankings. This is in the process of being fixed. Please check back in a little bit.'"

Loughran said he has checked the site regularly since hearing a response, with no change.

According to U.S. News, the publication joined forces with the American Institutes for Research, a D.C.-based organization, 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, according to the publication.

"Quite frankly, we are a GREAT high school community – and no ranking (or lack thereof) can change my opinion in this matter," Loughran said. 

According to the report, Holmdel was 97 percent proficient in language arts and 94 percent proficient in math. It ranks a 49.1 on the college readiness index.