Johnston High School Ranked 9th in state by U.S. News & World Report

The 2018 U.S. News and World Report Best High School rankings have been released and Johnston High School has been named ninth in the state and 2,313th in the nation. The district received a silver award through the national ranking program.

Johnston was one of four schools in the metro area to be ranked in the top 10; Valley High School in West Des Moines came in at fourth place; Ankeny Centennial at fifth; and Waukee High School at tenth. West Liberty High School took the top spot in 2018. One hundred-eighteen Iowa high schools made the rankings.

“This ranking is yet another quality indicator of the level of education offered in Johnston schools,” said Bruce Amendt, Associate Superintendent. “From our pre-kindergarten programs to our Advanced Placement classes, our students are excelling in their learning and raising the standard of quality education in central Iowa.”

The 2018 U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools rankings are based on data collected from more than 20,500 public U.S. high schools from 50 states and the District of Columbia. Schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.

According to U.S. News, the rankings methodology is based on four key indicators: 1) Students exceed expectations in reading and mathematics assessments in proportion to student body and socio-economic indicators; 2) Underserved/sub-group populations of students performed better than the state average on assessments; 3) Student graduation rates met a threshold of at least 80 percent; 4) Students were prepared for college-level coursework such as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.

As reported on the U.S. News website, in Johnston, “Students have the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® course work and exams. The AP® participation rate at Johnston Senior High School is 30 percent. The student body makeup is 51 percent male and 49 percent female, and the total minority enrollment is 18 percent.

“We credit the dedication and hard work of our educators, the involvement of our parents, and the determination of our students for this ranking,” Amendt said. “While we continue to strive for greater achievement, we are extremely proud of the accomplishments of our students.”

By the numbers

Students / Teachers

These counts and percentages of students and teachers are from data reported by schools to the government.

Test Scores (at JHS)

U.S. News calculates these values based on student performance on state exit exams and internationally available exams on college-level course work (AP®/IB exams).

School Data

School profile information is based on government data.