Better than Dallas

The 13th best high school in the country is in Houston — City gets props inNewsweek rankings

Newsweek has released its annual America's Best High Schools list, with one Houston school earning high accolades.

Andrew Carnegie Vanguard High School, a selective enrollment secondary school in the Houston Independent School District, ranked No. 13 in a list of the 1,000 top U.S. schools.

The news magazine based the rankings on self-reported statistics and a set of weighted criteria: Timely graduation rate, college acceptance rate, average SAT and/or ACT scores and the number of college-level exams (AP, IB and AICE) offered and taken, per student, and the average scores on those exams.

Though Carnegie Vanguard had a higher spot (No. 11) in the 2011 rankings, the school had a better overall score in the 2012 rankings, thanks to a 100-percent graduation rate and 100-percent college acceptance rate and an average SAT score of 1849.

Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky topped the national list at No. 1, but Texas high schools represented well overall, with 86 throughout the state — 18 in Houston alone, five in Austin and nine in Dallas — making the cut.

Other Houston-area schools ranked in the top 1,000 include: Eastwood Academy (No. 72), Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions (No. 75), Harmony School of Advancement (No. 149), High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (No. 162), Seven Lakes (No. 277), Memorial (No. 307), Cinco Ranch (No. 354), The Woodlands College Park (No. 382), Clear Horizons Early College (No. 401), Harmony Science Academy (No. 404), Westchester Academy for International Studies (No. 414), Bellaire (No. 439), Challenge Early College (No. 446), Kipp Houston (No. 522), Cypress Woods (No. 536), James E. Taylor (no. 599), Yes Prep Public Schools-North Central Campus (No. 611), The Woodlands (No. 626), Clear Lake (No. 634), High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice (No. 685), Stratford (No. 700), Glenda Dawson (No. 805), Yes Prep Southeast (No. 862), Mirabeau B. Lamar (No. 883), Dulles (No. 950), Clear Creek (No. 951), Friendswood (No. 952), Mount Caramel Academy (No. 957) and Cypress Ranch (No. 969).

Check out the rest of the list here.

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