Four Waukesha Schools Make Newsweek's Top High Schools List

Waukesha North, South, West and eAchieve Academy have ranked in Newsweek's list of America's Best High Schools. 

In the national ranking of 2,000 high schools, Waukesha West ranked 1,265, Waukesha South ranked 1,678, Waukesha North was ranked 1761, and eAchieve Academy ranked 1,667.

All the data analyzed was self-reported by each school for the 2011–12 school year. Over 5,000 high schools were invited to participate in the survey this year, and nearly 2,500 responded. 

Newsweek and The Daily Beast have compiled this list for the past two years and each year the methodlogy is tweaked. 

This year the methodology weighed the percentages of four-year, on-time graduation rate (25 percent); 2011 graduates who were accepted to college (25 percent); AP/IB/AICE tests per student (25 percent); average SAT and/or ACT score (10 percent); average AP/IB/AICE exam score (10 percent); and students enrolled in at least one AP/IB/AICE course (5 percent).

According to the list:

• Waukesha West had a four-year graduation rate of 93 percent, 85 percent of students were college-bound, the average ACT score was 23.5 and the average AP score was 3. 

• Waukesha South had a four-year graduation rate of 85 percent, 80 percent of students were college-bound, the average ACT score was 21.9 and the average AP score was 3.2. 

• Waukesha North had a four-year graduation rate of 85 percent, 81 percent of students were college-bound, the average ACT score was 21.7 and the average AP score was 3.9. 

• eAchieve Academy had a four-year graduation rate of 85 percent, 86 percent of students were college-bound, the average ACT score was 23.4 and the average AP score was 3.5. 

The state Department of Public Instruction has different graduation rates from the report put together by Newsweek and The Daily Beast. Waukesha West had 96.48 percent, Waukesha South had 82.11 percent, and Waukesha North had 85.52 percent.

Out of 55 Wisconsin schools on the list, Waukesha West ranked 28th, eAchieve Academy ranked 43rd, Waukesha South ranked 44th, and Waukesha North ranked 48th.