Newsweek: 6 Clark County schools among nation’s best

By Cara McCoy

Thursday, June 11, 2009 | 3:56 p.m.

Six Clark County schools have climbed onto a national honor roll of sorts with their inclusion on this year's list of the top public high schools in the country, as compiled by Newsweek magazine.

The schools are Advanced Technologies Academy, Las Vegas Academy of International Studies/Performing and Visual Arts; and Clark, Green Valley, Valley and Coronado high schools.

The Newsweek survey ranks schools based on the number of students who take college-level exams (Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge) and divides that figure by the number of graduating seniors. This year's list is based on 2008 data.

"There's been a big push to get more students into Advanced Placement classes. I think you're just starting to see it come to fruition," said Sue Daellenbach, the School District’s academic manager.

Last year the only county school that made the cut was Green Valley High School in Henderson. It also appeared on the list in 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2003.

The Newsweek rankings look only at the number of students who took the exams and doesn't factor in scores received. Private schools are also excluded.

In Clark County, 9,124 students took Advanced Placement tests during the 2008-2009 school year. Roughly half -- 4,278 of them -- earned a "3" or higher, which means the course can be used for college credit, Daellenbach said.

To be included on the list, a school must have an index of at least 1.000, meaning they are in the top 6 percent of public schools measured using this criteria, according to Newsweek.

Four of the six schools -- Advanced Technologies, Clark, Las Vegas Academy and Valley -- are select schools, meaning they have a specialized program or track, and students must apply to take that course of study.

"Students that elect to pursue a certain career path or have a school that focuses in on their interests, they're certainly much more motivated," she said.

Newsweek's list includes 1,500 high schools nationwide. Schools in Reno, Sparks and Incline Village also appear on the list, with the highest-ranked school statewide being Wooster High School in Reno, ranked 239. The two top-ranked schools nationwide are in Dallas.

The highest ranked school in Clark County was the Advanced Technologies Academy, which came in at 519. Clark ranked 658, Green Valley, 848; Valley, 926; Coronado, 1,248; Las Vegas Academy, 1,327.

Green Valley dropped from its 2008 ranking of 765, but fewer schools were included that year. Because there is no public database that includes testing information, the number of schools listed expands due to increased self-reporting.