Behind the Rankings

Julia R. Masterman Secondary School is known for its rigorous academics and dedicated students. It has been ranked among the top high schools nationwide, statewide, and citywide for years. According to the 2025-2026 U.S. News & World Report, Masterman is ranked #8 nationally among the “Best High Schools” list, and has decreased from last year’s #4 ranking. But what determines these rankings? According to the U.S. News & World Report’s website, there are many key indicators involved in these rankings. The first of six, “College Readiness”, is scaled by the number of seniors who take and pass an Advanced Placement (AP) exam or an International Baccalaureate (IB) exam. Currently, Masterman offers multiple AP courses, including AP African American Studies, AP Chemistry, AP Biology, and AP Statistics, among others. Then, “College Curriculum Breadth” measures how many seniors took and passed more than one AP or IB exam. Another factor, “State Assessment Proficiency,” measures whether students exceed state exam proficiency standards. Similarly, compared with proficiency, “State Assessment Performance” assesses students’ performance on exams in relation to the expectations of the state. A factor that affects Masterman students significantly is “Underserved Student Performance”. Masterman hosts an economically diverse student population compared to other high-ranking high schools, and the “Underserved Student Performance” factor accounts for this to create a more equitable ranking. The last factor, “Graduation Rate,” looks at how many students pass through all four years of high school. Each component weighs a certain percentage of the total, and this score is used to compare each school with others. U.S. News’ evaluations incorporate more recent data each year that affect the rankings. The many elements in play determine which schools offer the highest educational value; even small statistical details, like individual AP scores, greatly differentiate them. With that, Masterman’s drop in rankings does not mean Masterman is doing “bad” as a school; rather, it reflects the slight improvement made by other schools. Although it may seem like a downgrade, Masterman is still impressively ranked among the top 10 of more than 17,000 public schools ranked nationally.