Mercer Island High School has received a gold medal ranking among the nation’s Best High Schools in the 2017 annual rankings by U.S. News & World Report for student achievement.
“It is a tremendous honor to achieve gold medal status among the nation’s Best High Schools, and it validates how well our students are prepared for college and their future careers,” said Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano. “This recognition is also a testament to our students’ hard work, dedicated teachers and supportive families.”
Mercer Island is ranked 7th among Washington state high schools, and 419th nationally out of 28,500 high schools in the United States. Gold medal recognition was given to only 2.4 percent of the nation’s high schools this year by U.S. News.
MIHS was also ranked 139th among the nation’s Best High Schools for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This ranking was based on the key principle that students at these schools must participate in and pass a robust curriculum of college-level math and science courses.
“I am so proud of our students’ strong desire to always do their very best and the dedicated staff members who work collectively to reach out and help our students to excel,” said MIHS Principal Vicki Puckett. “Special thanks also to the district administration and community who are always there to support our students. Lastly, we would not be receiving this award if it were not for our supportive parents who stand behind their students in their pursuit of a strong education.”
To create the 2017 Best High Schools rankings, U.S. News worked with RTI International, a North Carolina-based research firm. High schools were evaluated in four areas:
• Overall student performance on state assessments;
• How effectively schools educated their low-income and minority students;
• Graduation rate; and
• College readiness.
High schools that made it through this analysis were then eligible to be ranked nationally. U.S. News determines the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work by analyzing student success in Advanced Placement (AP), which includes college-level courses.
