Thomas Jefferson ranks as nation's top high school

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The nation's top high school is Fairfax County's Thomas Jefferson High School for Sciences and Technology.

U.S. News & World Report bestowed the honor on the school after looking at more than 21,000 public high schools in 48 states.

When it comes to college readiness, the school scores a 100.

Walt Whitman High in Bethesda, Md., is No. 44 on the list of the top 100.

McLean High in McLean, Va., is No. 55, while Langley High, also in McLean, is No. 76.

To come up with the rankings, the magazine analyzed school performance, compared math and reading proficiency rates for disadvantaged students with statewide results and then looked at how well the students were prepared for college, based on Advance Placement and/or International Baccalaureate test data.

On a state-by-state basis, Virginia schools ranked No. 5 and Maryland schools, No. 13. Coming in No.1 were schools in Massachusetts.

D.C. schools were not included in the evaluation because the school system did not make sufficient data available.

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