Murray, Ky., April 30------ U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in education rankings, ranks Murray High School fourth within Kentucky’s 382 High Schools and recognizes MHS as one of the best high schools in the nation with an overall score 96.87/100 (a move up from last year’s #8 ranking).
Dupont Manual, Kentucky's number one ranked high school, is in Louisville, in the Jefferson County School District, roughly 50 miles from Frankfort, the state capital. Following DuPont is Brown School, Highlands High School, Murray High School, Pikeville High School, North Oldham High School, South Oldham High School, and Louisville Male High School.
Out of the 23,000 public high schools recognized by U.S. News and World Report, only 227 Kentucky schools were recognized nationally. MHS moved from their 2018 #857 to #540 national status out of 23,000 public high schools.
Coy Samons, MISD superintendent said it is an honor once again to be named as one of Kentucky’s best high schools by U.S. News and World Report. “The MISD is honored to have our tradition, pride and excellence recognized by U.S. News and World Report,” he said. “This ranking is a K-12 effort, and commitment top academic excellence by all stakeholders.”
The U.S. News rankings include data on more than 23,000 public schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Kentucky assesses high school students within English II, Algebra II, Biology, and U.S. History. High school graduation requirements in Kentucky call for a minimum of 22 credits earned, including the completion of a course on the history and appreciation of visual and performing arts. One area of focus for the U.S. News & World Report was the Advanced Placement (AP) opportunities provided at each high school. MHS Students have the opportunity to take course work and exams in AP, a College Board program that offers college-level courses at high schools across the country. The AP® participation rate at Murray High School is fifty-six percent and thirty-five percent of students are free and reduced lunch.
A new, revamped edition of the rankings, providing the most comprehensive evaluation of America's public high schools ever produced by U.S. News. Schools are ranked on their performance on state-required tests, graduation and how well they prepare students for college. The new methodology assigns weights to the six factors and then produces an overall score on which the ranking is based – as compared to the previous methodology, which involved a four-step process in which the final step used college readiness as the sole basis to determine a school's numerical rank. A breakdown of Methodology data includes: College Readiness ( 20% ), Math and Reading Proficiency (20%), Math and Reading Performance (20%), Underserved Student Performance (20%), College Curriculum Breadth (10%), and Graduation Rate (10%)
Teresa Speed, MHS principal, said this is a great honor. “We are very proud as a public school that educates all, every student, every day to represent Kentucky, and especially western Kentucky, our home,” she said. “Special thanks to students, staff, parents and our community who support us in every way.”
The Best High Schools rankings are available exclusively on usnews.com and include data on a variety of factors, such as enrollment, student diversity, participation in free and reduced-price lunch programs, graduation rates and the results of state assessments. U.S. News worked with RTI International, a global research firm, to implement the comprehensive ranking methodology.