3 local schools named to Newsweek list

By Erin Dostal

Monday, June 14, 2010 | 11:43 a.m.

Three Southern Nevada schools are on Newsweek magazine’s annual list of the best public high schools in the country.

Green Valley High in Henderson ranked 810th, Ed W. Clark High ranked 260th and the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts ranked 1,391st. About 1,600 high schools – 6 percent of U.S. high schools – were included on the list.

The magazine says its ranking is based on Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge tests. If students pass those exams, they can usually test out of some classes when they attend college, Newsweek said.

A Challenge Index assigned to each school is the number of these tests administered, divided by the number of graduates for that year.

Clark High had an index of 2.931, Green Valley High had an index of 1.792 and Las Vegas Academy had an index of 1.206.

Earl Wooster High School in Reno was the top-ranked Nevada school, which had an index of 3.393. Overall, Wooster High School ranked 174th.

The rankings didn't consider the number of students who passed the tests because schools can keep this ratio higher by allowing only top-achieving students the opportunity to take the tests, Newsweek said.

Last year’s list included six Southern Nevada schools: Green Valley High School (876th), Las Vegas Academy (1389th), Coronado High School in Henderson (1301st), Valley High School (958th), Ed W. Clark High School (678th) and the Advanced Technologies Academy (530th.)