Pennsylvania Schools That Succeed Despite Inequality

Newsweek on Wednesday published its list of top high schools nationwide, alongside a second set of rankings that comes with a twist.

In addition to its Top 500 schools list, Newsweek compiled “Beating the Odds” rankings, a look at schools that excel despite economic and other obstacles.

Five Pennsylvania schools are “beating the odds,” and four of them are from the immediate area:

167. Lower Merion High School, Ardmore

284. Wissahickon Senior High School, Ambler

287. East Stroudsburg Senior High School South, East Stroudsburg

289. Multi-Cultural Academy Charter School, Philadelphia

306. Franklin Learning Center, Philadelphia

Two of those schools made the earlier list of top schools overall. Lower Merion was 64th, while Wissahickon was 234th.

Here were the top 10 schools across the nation that Newsweek says are overcoming everything aligned against them:

1. Success Academy (Cedar City, UT)
2. Northside College Preparatory HS (Chicago, IL)
3. Transmountain Early College HS (El Paso, TX)
4. The Brooklyn Latin School (Brooklyn, NY)
5. West St. John High School (Edgard, LA)
6. Townsend Harris High School (Flushing, NY)
7. Payton College Preparatory HS (Chicago, IL)
8. Hollis F. Price Middle College High School (Memphis, TN)
9. San Gabriel High (San Gabriel, CA)
10. Valley View HS (Pharr, TX)

• Check out Newsweek’s full list of school’s beating the odds here.