RB had reason to celebrate as the U.S. News and World Report Magazine released its 2013 Best High Schools list. RB was ranked number 15 out of 649 public and eight magnet schools throughout Illinois. In addition to this, the school was ranked 427th nationally out of over 21,000 public high schools.
This ranking was decided by US News and the American Institutes for Research, a behavioral and social science research organization based in Washington, DC. These organizations used a three step process to compile the Best High Schools list, analyzing high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia. The first two steps were based on state proficiency tests. These benchmarks evaluated how well each school served all of their students. For the 2011-2012 school year, 75% of RB students met or exceeded state standards in both math and reading.
The third step was aimed to determine how well schools prepared their students for college. This was based off of Advanced Placement participation among students (62% of RB students took an AP class last year, with a 71% passing rate on the exams). Based on their College Readiness Index rating of 48.5, RB was one of the 500 schools nationwide to receive a Gold Medal ranking.
“RB is consistently recognized by colleges as a top school for recruiting outstanding students. This ranking from the U.S. News and World Report will help us to continue to place our students in the colleges of their choice, as well as retain and attract the best educators,” said Superintendent Kevin Skinkis in an April 26 press release.
Despite this good news, it is important to note that this ranking is based off of data from the 2010-2011 school year. It is not yet known what effect the last two years’ bigger class sizes and other changes may have on next year’s rating, but the administration is hopeful that the school will maintain its high academic standards and continue to rank well on lists in the future.
