West Hartford’s Kingswood Oxford was ranked in the Top 20 among private schools.

Submitted by Bernard Kavaler, Connecticut by the Numbers

Conard High School ranked no. 11 in the state and Hall High School was not far behind, ranking at no. 20, in the Best Public High Schools in Connecticut rankings by the website Niche. The rankings focused on the overall student experience at the schools. Academics, health and safety, teachers, and student culture and diversity were aspects of the analysis.

Of the ten categories graded for each school, Conard received an “A” in five categories – academics, administration & policies, extracurriculars, sports & fitness and teachers – and an A+ in educational outcomes, an A- in student culture & diversity.

Hall earned an A+ in extracurriculars & activities, an A in teachers and sports & fitness, an A- in academics, and health & safety. Neither West Hartford high school received any grades lower than a B.

Three Connecticut public high schools are ranked in the top 100 in the nation – Weston High School at no. 84 and New Canaan High School at no. 85, and Staples High School in Westport at no. 94.

The top 15 public high schools in the state were Weston High School, New Canaan High School, Staples High School (Westport), Darien High School, Simsbury High School, Ridgefield High School, Wilton High School, Greenwich High School, Glastonbury High School, Amity Regional High School (Woodbridge), Conard High School (West Hartford), Farmington High School, Cheshire High School, Joel Barlow High School (Redding) and Daniel Hand High School (Madison).

The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville is ranked as the top private school in Connecticut, and reached the top ten in the nation, at number seven. It is the only Connecticut private school in the top 25. The other Connecticut private schools in the top 50 nationally are Choate Rosemary Hall at no. 30 and Hopkins School in New Haven at no. 43.

West Hartford’s Kingswood-Oxford ranked in the top 20 in Connecticut, at no. 18. The American School for the Deaf was ranked no. 28, the Hebrew High School of New England was no. 29, and Northwest Catholic High School was no. 47 among the 64 private high schools in Connecticut.

A high ranking generally indicates that:

• Students are very happy with their experiences in all aspects, including academics, teachers, health, safety, resources, facilities, extracurriculars, sports, and fitness;
• The school is an exceptional academic institution in terms of teachers, students, resources for learning, and student outcomes;
• The school is made up of a diverse population and fosters an accepting, positive school culture;
• Students are actively involved in a variety of extracurriculars and sports the school offers.

Factors considered in the analysis include:

• Academics, which incorporates statistics and student, alumni, and parent surveys regarding academics at the school.
• Health & Safety, which incorporates statistics and student, alumni, and parent surveys regarding health and safety at the school.
• Student Culture & Diversity, which incorporates statistics and student, alumni, and parent surveys regarding culture and diversity at the school.
• Survey Responses, which consist of parent and student opinions about the overall experience at the high school they currently or recently attend(ed).
• Teachers, which incorporates statistics and student, alumni, and parent surveys regarding teachers at the school.
• Resources & Facilities, which incorporates statistics and student, alumni, and parent surveys regarding resources and facilities at the school.
• Extracurriculars & Activities, which incorporates statistics and student, alumni, and parent surveys regarding clubs and activities at the school.
• Sports & Fitness, which incorporates statistics and student, alumni, and parent surveys regarding athletics and general fitness at the school.

According to the analysis, a high ranking indicates that “the school is an exceptional academic institution with a diverse set of high-achieving students who rate their experience very highly.” Niche, based in Pittsburgh, was founded in 2002 by Carnegie Mellon University students as CollegeProwler.com, and has since “grown into one of the largest content startups in the country,” according to the company’s website.

More about the Niche rankings for Connecticut public and private high schools at www.ctbythenumbers.info.