Schools

U.S. News Ranks Keystone Oaks One of Pennsylvania's Top High Schools

'U.S. News and World Report' released its 2013 "Best High Schools" rankings.

The coveted U.S. News and World Report rankings of the best public high schools in America released Tuesday place Keystone Oaks High School near the top.

The annual list ranks Keystone Oaks No. 69 among Pennsylvania's 687 public, magnet and charter high schools and No. 2258 out of more than 21,000 high schools nationwide.

Schools are evaluated based on overall student performance on state tests, Advanced Placement tests and International Baccalaureate exams; rankings also take into account how well students educate black, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students, according to a release from U.S. News. 

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The rankings are designed to capture how well high schools educate all of their students and prepare them for college-level work, according to U.S. News.

Rankings are based on several factors: college readiness, math and reading proficiency, and student to teacher ratio.

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Peters Township shows 82 percent math proficiency and 77 percent reading proficiency based on student Pennsylvania System of School Assessment results.

The high school has a ratio of 15 students to every one teacher, and a college readiness index of 15.1, which is based on Advanced Placement exam participation rates and percentages of students passing at least one exam. 

Top 15 Pennsylvania high schools, based on U.S. News rankings:

1. Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School, Philadelphia

7. Upper St. Clair High School

8. Radnor High School, Radnor

9. Lower Moreland High School, Huntingdon Valley

10. Unionville High School, Kennett Square 

11. Mt. Lebanon High School, Pittsburgh

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