Press Release – National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
Washington, D.C. – April 21, 2020 — Today, U.S. News & World Report’s (U.S. News) 2020 rankings of the best public high schools recognize charter schools are among the best high schools in the country. Two charter schools, BASIS Chandler in Chandler, AZ (#7), and Haas Hall Academy in Bentonville, AR (#8), claim spots in the nation’s top ten public high schools and 21 charter schools rank in the top 100.
Although charter schools make up only slightly more than 10% of U.S. high schools, they account for nearly 18 percent of schools in the top 5% and nearly a quarter of schools in the top 1%.
The U.S. News Best High Schools rankings include data on more than 24,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 18,000 schools were ranked on college readiness, math and reading proficiency, math and reading performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth, and graduation rates based on their performance on state examinations and college-readiness metrics.
National Alliance President and CEO Nina Rees released the following statement:
“Charter schools are among the best high schools in the nation. This ranking validates it, and families know it. That’s why more than five million additional families would send their child to a charter school if one were available to them.
I applaud the hard work of outstanding charter schools whose ranking demonstrates their outsized impact on the public-school sector. The U.S. News Best High School rankings are yet another reminder to policymakers and legislators that charter schools are a high-quality public-school option for all students.”
Charter Schools in U.S. News’s Top 100 Best Public High Schools
- BASIS Chandler in Chandler, AZ (#7)
- Haas Hall Academy in Bentonville, AR (#8)
- Signature School in Evansville, IN (#15)
- BASIS Oro Valley in Oro Valley, AZ (#18)
- BASIS Peoria in Peoria, AZ (#27)
- Haas Hall Academy in Fayetteville, AR (#32)
- Charter School of Wilmington in Wilmington, DE (#39)
- BASIS Flagstaff in Flagstaff, AZ (#43)
- BASIS Tucson North in Tucson, AZ (#48)
- BASIS Scottsdale in Scottsdale, AZ (#49)
- University High School in Fresno, CA (#55)
- BASIS Phoenix in Phoenix, AZ (#56)
- BASIS Ahwatukee in Phoenix, AZ (#67)
- Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans, LA (#71)
- Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School in Miami, FL (#74)
- International Studies Charter High School in Miami, FL (#83)
- Preuss School UCSD in La Jolla, CA (#87)
- Hawthorne Math and Science Academy in Hawthorne, CA (#89)
- BASIS San Antonio – Shavano Campus, Castle Hills, TX (#91)
- Harding Charter Preparatory High School in Oklahoma City, OK (#96)
- Westlake Academy in Westlake, TX (#100)
FLORIDA CHARTER SCHOOL RANKING
Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School, Miami
#7 in Florida Rankings, #74 in National Rankings
International Studies Charter High School, Miami
#8 in Florida Rankings, #83 in National Rankings
Doral Performing Arts and Entertainment Academy, Miami
#13 in Florida Rankings, #107 in National Rankings
Orlando Science Middle High Charter, Orlando
#29 in Florida Rankings
Mater Performing Arts and Entertainment Academy, Hialeah Gardens
#30 in Florida Rankings
iMater Preparatory Academy High School, Hialeah
#35 in Florida Rankings
Somerset Academy Charter High, Broward County
#36 in Florida Rankings
Mater Academy Charter High, Hialeah Gardens
#37 in Florida Rankings
Brooks Debartolo Collegiate High School, Tampa
#43 in Florida Rankings
Somerset Academy Charter High School, Homestead
#50 in Florida Rankings
Click here for the complete ranking of charter high schools in Florida.
About Public Charter Schools Public charter schools are independent, public, and tuition-free schools that are given the freedom to be more innovative while being held accountable for advancing student achievement. Since 2010, many research studies have found that students in charter schools do better in school than their traditional school peers. For example, one study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found that charter schools do a better job teaching low-income students, minority students, and students who are still learning English than traditional schools. Separate studies by the Center on Reinventing Public Education and Mathematica Policy Research have found that charter school students are more likely to graduate from high school, go on to college, stay in college, and have higher earnings in early adulthood.
About the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is the leading national nonprofit organization committed to advancing the public charter school movement. Our mission is to lead public education to unprecedented levels of academic achievement by fostering a strong charter sector. For more information, please visit www.publiccharters.org