Four Houston high schools ranked among nation’s top 100

U.S. News and World Reports' annual rankings of schools placed four Houston-area high schools in the top-100 rankings of the Best U.S. High Schools, with a fifth ranked 101st.

Two area schools made it into the top 50 nationwide, according to reporting by CultureMap Houston. Additionally, half of Texas schools making the top 100 are in the Houston area.

The highest-ranked Houston school was Carnegie Vanguard High School, which was ranked 42nd in the nation, CultureMap reported. With 100% of students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses, the school is ranked fifth in the state, and also has a student population that is 77% minority and 31% from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

At 46th, DeBakey High School for Health Professionals is a renowned medical prep school with 98% of students enrolled in Advanced Placement classes, according to CultureMap. At the same time, 88% of students at the school are from a minority background and 44% are economically disadvantaged.

Challenge Early College High School came in at 89th, boasting 100% participation among students in Advanced Placement courses, with 92% minority enrollment and 76% of students from an economically disadvantaged background, CultureMap reported. Rounding out the top 100, Young Women’s College Prep Academy took 97th place nationally, once again showing 100% of the student population enrolled in Advanced Placement classes, while also having 97% minority enrollment and 96% of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Just outside the top 100, Grand Prairie Fine Arts Academy placed 101st in U.S. News and World Reports’ rankings, according to CultureMap.

U.S. News and World Reports evaluated 17,800 public schools in what has been touted as their most comprehensive survey to date, CultureMap reported. The data was based on the 2018-2019 academic year, so does not reflect how each school was affected by the pandemic.

Rankings took into account how well schools served all of their students of varying ethnic and economic backgrounds, according to Culture Map.