Best Schools 2019 For the sixth year in a row, we’re crunching the numbers and ranking Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky high schools to determine which are the best. Where did your school fall in our rankings?
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38 Top Schools 40 School Rankings 44 Honorable Mentions 45 Special Programs 47 Outstanding Educators 51 Private School Guide 62 St. Gertrude School 64 Badin High School 65 McNicholas High School 66 Royalmont Academy
OHIO
Walnut Hills High School CINCINNATI PUBLIC SCHOOLS
After four years of being in the top five, Walnut Hills High School has taken the No. 1 spot in our rankings for the first time. Its overall excellence easily took it to the top—it’s ranked in the 99th percentile of high schools as ranked by the state, has the highest state performance index score in the region (106.129), has the area’s highest graduation rate (98.9%), great test scores and a high average ACT score (25.73). In fact, 17 students scored a perfect 36 on the test. But what pushed the school over the top was its end-of-course improvement indicator percentage. At Walnut Hills, 64.7% of students recorded higher scores on a retake of the same endof-course exam.
2 Indian Hill High School
INDIAN HILL EXEMPTED V ILLAGE SCHOOL DISTRICT
With its low student-to-teacher ratio (11.26), high percentage of teachers with master’s degrees and great end-of-course proficiency or better pass rates in English, biology, government and history, Indian Hill High School remains one the best high schools in the region. The community continues to invest in education, with the high school having the highest per pupil spending in the region with $15,142. Outside of academics, the school has excelled in athletics (its girls soccer team 38
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won the state’s Division II championship) and in mock trial (with its team going all the way to the state competition).
3 Madeira High School
MADEIR A CITY SCHOOLS DISTRICT
Madeira High School comes in at No. 3 this year thanks to its state score of 104.829, attendance rate of 95.5%, graduation rate of 98.1% and good end-of-course proficiency or better pass rates, including 100% in history. But Madeira students and teachers are using what they’re working on in class to have a positive impact on the community as well. Teacher Jenni-
fer Jordan recently received the Leavey Award for Excellence in Private Enterprise Education for the work she’s done in her entrepreneurship class. In the class, students create products and implement a business plan, with the profits from the products going to local charities. The class has donated to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the Reds Community Fund.
4 Wyoming High School
W YOMING CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
Wyoming High School continues to be ranked highly in the state, with a state score of 104.617. The school has some of