Abington Earns Silver from 'U.S. News and World Report'

Earlier today, U.S. News and World Report released its rankings of the best high schools in the country. Not surprisingly, Abington Senior High School got a nod.

Abington ranks in at 1,352 nationally out of about 21,800 high schools; the high school ranks 31st in Pennsylvania.

Nearby Jenkintown Middle/High School ranked in at 38th statewide and 1,544 nationally.

According to the U.S. News and World Report website, the agency partnered with the Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research to determine the rankings. They are based on state assessments, college readiness and students’ success in Advanced Placement programs. This is the fourth edition of the rankings. 

See the full methodology here.

Abington and Jenkintown both scored “Silver” rankings.

According to the report, Abington has a “college readiness” factor that is 25.5 percent higher than the Pennsylvania average; 33 percent of Abington seniors participated in AP exams (23 percent passed); 82 percent of Abington students are proficient in math; and 86 percent of Abington students are proficient in reading.

Jenkintown has comparable numbers. Its “college readiness” factor is 22.3 percent higher than the state average; 32 percent of Jenkintown seniors participated in AP exams (19 percent passed); and those proficient in math and reading are 78 percent and 94 percent, respectively.

By comparison, the number-one ranked high school in Pennsylvania, Julia Reynolds Masterman, in Philadelphia, has a “college readiness” factor that is 83.8 percent higher than the Pennsylvania average; 94 percent of Masterman seniors participated in AP tests (80 percent passed); all of its students are proficient in math; and 98 percent of its students are proficient in reading. 

In 2008, Abington High School received a "Bronze" ranking from U.S. News and World Report. 

Late last year, Abington was named one of the "100 Best Communities for Young People" by the America's Promise Alliance. It received has received the award five times.