Marlboro and Colts Neck Unranked in U.S. Top High Schools List

Marlboro and Colts Neck High Schools went unranked this year on the list of top high schools published by U.S. News and World Report.

Last year, Marlboro ranked 782 on the list and was only Freehold Regional High School District school to break the top 50 in state rankings.

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.

Proficiency in language arts rose to 99 percent from 97 percent last year according to the list , while math proficiency rose to 93 percent from 92 percent.

In neighboring Holmdel, administrators are questioning the results of this year's list. Last year, Holmdel recieved a gold award for ranking in the top 500 of all U.S. high schools. This year, they also went unranked.

Holmdel Principal William Loughran was told by the publication on Wednesday that a glitch in the website led to jumbled rankings, but said he has yet to see a change.

Colts Neck High School was also left off the list this year, with 97 percent proficiency in language arts and 89 percent in math proficiency.

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.

Top 15 New Jersey schools:

• Biotechnology High School
• High Technology High School
• Bergen County Academies
• Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School
• Bergen County Technical High School
• Middlesex County Academy
• Academy for Allied Health Sciences
• West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
• Academy of Allied Health and Science
• Elizabeth High School