Ward Melville High School #82 in State Says U.S. News & World Report

The U.S. News & World Report rankings of the best public high schools in America are out and has been pinpointed as No. 82 on the list out of 1,165 high schools in New York.

According to rankings released Tuesday that are based on college readiness, math and English proficiency, and student-to-teacher ratio, Ward Melville earned a silver medal.

Ward Melville's college readiness index was 41, above the New York state average. The college readiness index is based on AP exam participation rates and percentages of students passing at least one exam.

Ward Melville was also cited for having approximately a 13-to-1 student-teacher ratio – its enrollment is 1,853 with 145 teachers – and above-average proficiencies in math and English.

New York has hundreds of schools in the U.S. News Best High Schools 2012 rankings, including 68 with gold medals, 174 with silver medals, and 128 with bronze medals, according to the report. In Suffolk, Commack was rated No. 18 in the state; Harborfields High Schools is No. 36; Smithtown West is No. 54; Half Hollow Hills West and East are No. 61 and No. 69, respectively; and Smithtown East is No. 76.

The top 10 New York High schools, according to U.S. News & World Report are:

1. The Baccalaureate School for Global Education
2. South Side High School
3. City Honors School at Fosdick-Masten Park
4. Yonkers Middle High School
5. High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies
6. The High School of American Studies at Lehman College
   
7. Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
8. Townsend Harris High School
9. Stuyvesant High School
10. The Bronx High School of Science