Harlem High School Named 3rd Best In State: U.S. News

HARLEM, NY — A public high school in Harlem is among the three best in New York state and in the top 30 nationwide, according to a new ranking by U.S. News and World Report.

The High School for Math, Science & Engineering at City College of New York (HSME) placed third in the New York list of the publication's Best High Schools for 2021, an annual ranking of how high schools compare at the national, state and local level.

The high school, located on Convent Avenue on City College's Hamilton Heights campus, is one of the city's eight specialized high schools, highly selective institutions that students must test into through the so-called SHSAT exam. (Others include Stuyvesant, Bronx High School of Science and Brooklyn Technical High School.)

HSME placed 28th in the national ranking.

This year's rankings were based on six metrics, including college readiness, proficiency and performance in math and reading, and how well schools support students who are Black, Hispanic and come from low-income households.

HSME was not the only Harlem school to score a spot in the state's top 100. Others included:

• Columbia Secondary School in West Harlem (24th in New York, 203rd nationally)
• Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics in East Harlem (61st in New York, 580th nationally)
• Central Park East High School (66th in New York, 635th nationally)

The data used in this edition is from the 2018-2019 academic school year and, therefore, was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rankings may provide insight into academic performance among underserved groups, showing how well schools are supporting these students, Anita Narayan, managing editor of education at U.S. News, said in a news release.

This year's list ranked more than 17,800 public high schools throughout the country.

Here's a look at the top 10 public high schools in New York, all of which are located in the five boroughs:

1. Townsend Harris High School, Flushing
2. Brooklyn Technical High School, Brooklyn
3. High School Math Science and Engineering at CCNY, Manhattan
4. Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, Jamaica
5. Bronx High School of Science, Bronx
6. Staten Island Technical High School, Staten Island
7. Stuyvesant High School, Manhattan
8. High School of American Studies at Lehman College, Bronx
9. Brooklyn Latin School, Brooklyn
10. High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies, Manhattan

Patch reporters Anna Quinn and Gus Saltonstall contributed.