By Kim Siebert MacPhail
Bedford High School was ranked number 14 of the top 15 high schools in the state in the so-called “Dreamschool” study funded by the Boston Globe and conducted by professors Anil Nathan and Jack Schneider of the College of the Holy Cross. The criteria for ranking Massachusetts high schools was based on six categories such as growth in MCAS scores for math and English language arts, school climate (including graduation and dropout rates and college acceptance), college readiness (including SAT and AP test scores), school resources, and diversity. The most recent data from the state’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education was used in the study’s calculations.
Superintendent Jon Sills, who has cautioned residents to take school rankings “with a grain of salt,” welcomed the news of Bedford’s score saying that he’ll nonetheless “take the sugar” of strong rankings when they come.
The top 15 high schools in the Globe’s Dreamschool rankings are:
- Boston Latin Academy
- Boston Latin
- Cambridge Rindge and Latin
- Lexington
- Waltham Sr.
- Sharon
- Weston
- Acton-Boxborough Regional
- Amherst Regional
- North Quincy
- Brookline
- University Park Campus
- Somerville
- Bedford
- Belmont
To specifically view Bedford’s numbers and percentages, visit: https://boston.com/yourtown/2013/10/12/dreamschool-top-high-schools-massachusetts-overall/gnPZP70FeTPhlRKQvhRbwK/story.html?pg=3