The Top High Schools in Rhode Island 2012

Monday, May 14, 2012

Tracey Minkin, GoLocalProv Features Editor

What is Rhode Island's Top High School?

GoLocalProv's Third Annual Top High Schools 2012 ranking crunches hundreds of pieces of data from 51 public, charter and technical schools statewide to reveal how our communities' schools provide for their students. With school quality a cornerstone of real estate values and a crucial element of civic pride, this quantitative analysis of each school provides the only comprehensive view of the secondary school educational landscape in Rhode Island.

GoLocal employs a formula developed at Babson College to assess and weight each school's latest NECAP and SAT scores, plus per pupil funding, student-teacher ratios, and graduation rates.

To see the full chart of all our results, including every school in ranking order, start here. To read about this year's Top School, go here. To read more about Top High Schools methodology, click here. If you're curious about how schools figure into the real estate landscape (they do), go here. Or follow all the links below for portraits of the Top 10 perfomers this year, a tale of frustration from a school at the very bottom of the chart, and an analysis of who were the big movers since last year... up and down.

Nothing may be more discussed, debated, and even gossiped about, than schools. They dominate local culture with sports, student stars, college acceptances (or rejections), and the incredible hum of teen life. Everyone has loyalties. Most think theirs is best. And, with typical Rhode Island passion, are willing to argue it long past the clearing of an athletic field, the curtain on a senior theatrical or band concert, the end of a debate competition or Mock Trial. It's the most talked-about ranking in Rhode Island.

How'd your school do?

For a printable version of RI's Top High Schools 2012, with the full chart of rankings and summaries of key articles, Download PDF

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Comments:

a y

7:38am on Monday, May 14, 2012

Getting a good education has more to do with having parents and kids who care, then how much a community spends. There's just no relationship between spending and results.
http://www.golocalprov.com/news/the-most-expensive-teacher-contracts/

David Beagle

10:11am on Monday, May 14, 2012

If you look at the cost per pupil, its all over the map, not really a factor. What IS a factor though and NOT included, is the number of poor and minority students attending the best and worst high schools. Pretty much stares you right in the face, but not politically correct enough to be included. Can't hide from reality forever.

Bob Washburn

11:46am on Monday, May 14, 2012

Why does only East Greenwich and Barrington High Schools achieve over 54% proficiency in math? Could these stats be a reason that there are so few technology centered businesses in the state?

Gary Arnold

7:11pm on Monday, May 14, 2012

I would like to know how many schools have technology as part of their education programs. This is the area that will equalize all schools, if and when technology is fully deployed and teachers are fully trained to educate the kids.
Invest in technology to invest in our kids.

Ed Jucation

7:15pm on Monday, May 14, 2012

@Bob...Parental Income is your answer..@David..here are the demographics you hinted at....Barrington..94% white, 1% black 3% Asian, 2% Hispanic...East Greenwich..93% white, 1% black, 4% Asian, 2% Hispanic...Providence..45% white, 16% black, 6% Asian, 40% Hispanic. (yes I know Providence adds up to more than 100%) Here's the source: http://www.clrsearch.com/Providence_Demographics/RI/Population-by-Race-and-Ethnicity

Domenic Merolla

9:42pm on Monday, May 14, 2012

Can even one person, including GoLocal editors, tell me why higher spending per pupil is rewarded for being high!? In the top ten it appears as though Barrington spends the least per student but maintains some of the best scores- Why isn't high return on investment rewarded? Why are we commending schools that spend WAY more to get much worse results??

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