SBHS Named One of Newsweek's Best High Schools in America

What has been a banner year for South Brunswick High School in terms of student achievement in academics and athletics continues to get better.  SBHS was recognized by Newsweek Magazine on Monday in its annual list of the Best High Schools in America.

"It's with justifiable pride that we're able to say to our community, when compared to all others, that we rank favorably," said Superintendent Gary McCartney. 

Newsweek went to a new criteria this year to determine its rankings, as opposed to previous years.  Newsweek said the rankings were calculated using six components: graduation rate (25 percent), college matriculation rate (25 percent), and AP tests taken per graduate (25 percent), plus average SAT/ACT scores (10 percent), average AP/IB scores (10 percent), and AP courses offered per graduate (5 percent).

South Brunswick High School was ranked 264 out of 1,000 on the Newsweek list. 

"When you look at the top portion of the list, they're all magnet schools, which is not typical of a traditional community structure," Dr. McCartney said. "That's all well and good, but when you take off that top portion then we move up much higher."

In total, 36 schools from New Jersey made the top 500, with SBHS ranked 20th among those schools. The top ranking school in New Jersey, High Technology High School in Lincroft, finished 18th. 

"When you look at the list, there's not many New Jersey schools in front of us, and we're tickled with that," McCartney said. "We're sort of reveling in this positive recognition."

SBHS Principal Timothy Matheney credited the hard work and dedication of South Brunswick's educators throughout the school system.

"Our inclusion on the Newsweek list is a reflection of the quality of educators serving South Brunswick's children from kindergarten through twelfth grade," he said. "Every staff member in the South Brunswick School District and the entire community can take great pride in this honor."

The designation as one of the top high schools in the country comes on the heels of SBHS being named a 2011 National School of Character by The Character Education Partnership (CEP) in Washington D.C.

"When you look at our community and all that we've been through with regards to the economy in New Jersey, and right here in South Brunswick, I'm just delighted that we've performed the way we have and in a way that's recognizable by a national publication," McCartney said. "I always look with a little skepticism on these comparisons, but with this new mix of criteria it's a little more realistic for larger schools."

Click here to view the full list of the top 500 High Schools in America.