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Five East Valley high schools honored as among best in America
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Five East Valley schools made it to Newsweek’s annual list of the nation’s top high schools. Two in both the Chandler and Paradise Valley unified school districts and one in Scottsdale received the honors.
One school in Arizona made it to the list’s top 10: BASIS charter school in Tucson, which has a sister school in Scottsdale.
To rank the schools, the news magazine used an index that compares the number of seniors at the school to the number of Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate tests taken by students.
The magazine says this shows the academic rigor of the school.
Oddly, two schools on Newsweek’s list, Hamilton and North Canyon high schools, did not meet federal benchmarks last year according to the No Child Left Behind Act.
Fred DePrez, principal of Chandler’s Hamilton High School, credited much of his school’s success to the fact that the school focuses on promoting its most rigorous courses.
“Our goal is to have 30 percent of our kids in the rigorous part of the curriculum, in the AP classes,” he said.
Mary Lou Muccino, principal of Scottsdale’s Chaparral High School, said she was thrilled her school made the list for the fourth time, “but it’s really only one measure of what makes a great school.”
This is the first time Pinnacle High School in northeast Phoenix has made the list. Principal Jason Reynolds said his school was honored to be counted among the best in the nation.
“It was just sort of reflecting on the hard work that our teachers and students have put in over the past two to three years,” Reynolds said.
E.V. schools on list
East Valley schools that made Newsweek’s list of top high schools in the nation:
• Chandler High School, Chandler Unified School District
• Chaparral High School, Scottsdale Unified School District
• Hamilton High School, Chandler Unified School District
• Pinnacle High School, Paradise Valley Unified School District
• North Canyon High School, Paradise Valley Unified School District
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