Dexter High School Misses Mark in Newsweek, U.S. News 'Best Schools' Rankings

The results of a 2012 study by U.S. News and World Report naming the best high schools across the country are in, and did not make the cut.

The yearly rankings are based on student proficiency scores for standardized tests, the performance of economically disadvantaged students in a school district compared to average students' performance, and college-readiness performance, which was measured using Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test data as the benchmarks for success.

Researchers analyzed 21,776 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia. The report shows 83 percent of DHS students are proficient in reading, while 75 percent are proficient in math. The school was given an overall college readiness index rating of 40.1. The school was not included as a "Top 50" school in Michigan, nor in the report's top 1,000 schools in the United States.

Superintendent Mary Marshall said one explanation could be the district's small number of economically disadvantaged students, who did not meet some of the educational benchmarks other students in schools of comparable size to Dexter did.

"We have a very small subgroup of disadvantaged students, so one or two students could have a significant impact when there's a broad measurement of the student body," she said.

Saline High School was ranked ninth in Michigan and 525 nationally. Chelsea High School was ranked 21st in Michigan and 906 nationally. Ann Arbor Pioneer was ranked 19th in Michigan and 797 nationally. Milan High School and Manchester High School were also not included in the publication's ratings.

On Tuesday, Newsweek released its list of the 1,000 best schools in the country. In Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor Huron High School was ranked 576 nationally.

Newsweek calculated the best schools using six criteria. Here's how the total score breaks down:

• 25 percent: Four-year graduation rate
• 25 percent: College acceptance rate
• 25 percent: Number of AP and other high-level exams given per student
• 10 percent: Average SAT/ACT scores
• 10 percent: AP/college-level test scores
• 5 percent: Number of AP courses offered per student

Newsweek has been ranking the top schools for more than a decade and gets the data from administrators who return its surveys.