OMHS leads five local high schools in state’s top 50, according to U.S. News

Published 3:10 pm Tuesday, April 21, 2020

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Five public high schools in Shelby County were listed among the top 50 in Alabama in the latest rankings from U.S. News & World Report, led by Oak Mountain High School at No. 9.

Following OMHS, the local schools in the top 50 were Spain Park High School at No. 11, Helena High School at No. 16, Thompson High School at No. 26 and Chelsea High School at No. 38.

The U.S. News & World Report methodology includes College Readiness (30 percent of the overall score), Math and Reading Proficiency (20 percent), Math and Reading Performance (20 percent), Underserved Student Performance (10 percent), College Curriculum Breadth (10 percent) and Graduation Rate (10 percent).

“A great high school educates all students from different social and economic backgrounds, exposing them to challenging coursework on the path to graduation,” read a release from U.S. News. “The highest ranked U.S. public schools in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best High Schools rankings are those whose attendees demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math and reading state assessments, passed a diverse array of college-level exams and graduated in high proportions.”

Below are notes on the five local high schools in the top 50 of the rankings:

Oak Mountain High School

  • Overall score of 95.16/100
  • Enrollment of 1,572.
  • Student-Teacher Ratio of 18:1.
  • College Readiness Index Rank of No. 5 in Alabama.
  • College Curriculum Breadth Index Rank of No. 5 in Alabama.
  • Math and Reading Proficiency Rank of No. 6 in Alabama.
  • Math and Reading Performance Rank of No. 76 in Alabama.

Spain Park High School

  • Overall score of 94.42/100
  • Enrollment of 1,626.
  • Student-Teacher Ratio of 14:1.
  • College Readiness Index Rank of No. 7 in Alabama.
  • College Curriculum Breadth Index Rank of No. 7 in Alabama.
  • Math and Reading Proficiency Rank of No. 10 in Alabama.
  • Math and Reading Performance Rank of No. 68 in Alabama.

Helena High School

  • Overall score of 91.05/100
  • Enrollment of 1,281.
  • Student-Teacher Ratio of 19:1.
  • College Readiness Index Rank of No. 10 in Alabama.
  • College Curriculum Breadth Index Rank of No. 15 in Alabama.
  • Math and Reading Proficiency Rank of No. 20 in Alabama.
  • Math and Reading Performance Rank of No. 118 in Alabama.
  • Graduation Rate Rank of No. 77 in Alabama.

Thompson High School

  • Overall score of 87.97/100
  • Enrollment of 1,981.
  • Student-Teacher Ratio of 17:1.
  • College Readiness Index Rank of No. 17 in Alabama.
  • College Curriculum Breadth Index Rank of No. 14 in Alabama.
  • Math and Reading Proficiency Rank of No. 36 in Alabama.
  • Math and Reading Performance Rank of No. 156 in Alabama.

Chelsea High School

  • Overall score of 81.17/100
  • Enrollment of 1,235.
  • Student-Teacher Ratio of 19:1.
  • College Readiness Index Rank of No. 22 in Alabama.
  • College Curriculum Breadth Index Rank of No. 18 in Alabama.
  • Math and Reading Proficiency Rank of No. 28 in Alabama.
  • Math and Reading Performance Rank of No. 297 in Alabama.

Other local schools included Calera High School at No. 59 in Alabama, Shelby County High School at No. 66, Pelham High School at No. 68, Vincent Middle High School at No. 74 and Montevallo at No. 107.

For the full rankings, click here.