Decatur High School makes U.S. News and World Report best list

Decatur High School is ranked 16th in Georgia in this year’s U.S. News & World Report “best” high schools list.

Georgia ranked 18th among states, tied with Virginia, for the percentage of listed schools. Eighty-four Georgia high schools, about 14 percent, got there.

The list categorizes the best schools as gold, silver or bronze medal winners, with gold and silver awards reflecting best preparation of students for college, based partly on their participating in and passing Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests. For a school to be eligible for a gold or silver medal, its students must also do well on statewide tests and graduate at high rates.

Only 38 states and the District of Columbia had at least one school that earned a gold medal, and six of those states had only one. Georgia had 16, with Decatur High taking the bottom spot; it ranked 496th nationally.

U.S. News evaluates more than 20,500 public high schools nationwide. It says it looks at the proportion of students who exceed academic expectations, taking into account how many of a school’s students are from low-income families. It also factors in graduation rates and students’ performance on state tests.

More: How the rest of Atlanta did.

About the Author

Ty Tagami

Ty Tagami is a staff writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Since joining the newspaper in 2002, he has written about everything from hurricanes to homelessness. He has deep experience covering local government and education, and can often be found under the Gold Dome when lawmakers meet or in a school somewhere in the state.

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