West Hartford high schools were ranked among the top schools in Connecticut, and in the top 3% nationally in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report ranking of the country’s public high schools.
By Ronni Newton
West Hartford’s two public high schools – Hall High School and Conard High School – continue their legacy of earning top rankings in the state as well as nationally in the U.S. News & World Report 2024 list of the nation’s best high schools released Tuesday.
The rankings for Hall and Conard have been nearly identical over the years, and this year Hall leap-frogged over Conard in the rankings, coming in at No. 6 in the state, up from No. 11 last year. Conard was again ranked No. 10 among all public high schools in Connecticut.
“I am excited to announce that West Hartford Public Schools continues to boast schools in the top ten among all Connecticut high schools and top 3% in the nation,” Superintendent Paul Vicinus told We-Ha.com Tuesday when the rankings were announced. “This accomplishment is a testament to the incredibly dedicated teachers and staff and the excellent PK-12 programming across all of our schools. I am very proud of our students and thankful to our committed and talented teachers who strive to make a difference for every child, every day.”
Nationally for 2024, Hall is ranked No. 362 while Conard is No. 564 – out of nearly 18,000 schools ranked among the 25,000 surveyed by U.S. News & World Report in the most recent analysis.
Two of the top-rated schools in Connecticut are magnet or charter schools, including Connecticut IB Academy, this year’s No. 1 school in the state, and Marine Sciences Magnet High School of Southeastern, which is ranked No. 3 in the state this year. Among traditional high schools other than Conard and Hall, the only other Hartford County high schools among the top 10 were Simsbury High School (No. 7) and Farmington High School (No. 8). Avon High School was ranked No. 12.
The other traditional high schools in the top 10 are all located in Fairfield County and include Darien (No. 2), Weston (No. 4), Greenwich (No. 5), and Staples (Westport, No. 9).
Hall High School 2024 U.S. News scorecard
As was the case with the 2023 rankings, each school was assigned a numerical score. This year’s score was based on the number of students who took at least on Advanced Placement (AP) exam, the number of students who passed at least one AP exam, college curriculum breadth, and graduation rate. Mathematics and reading proficiency on state assessments were also factors in the score, along with performance of underserved students.
Both Hall and Conard and received A-plus level grades.
Hall received a 97.95 on the most recent scorecard, with an AP exam participation rate of 73%, and 59% of students receiving a passing grade of at least 3. Hall is ranked in the top 10 among all Connecticut high schools on the U.S. News “College Readiness” index, “College Curriculum Breadth” index, and on both proficiency and performance on state assessments.
Specific details regarding Hall’s ranking can be found here.
Conard High School 2024 U.S. News scorecard
Conard’s score was 96.81 for 2024. At Conard, 74% of students took at least one AP exam, and 63% received a grade of at least 3 or higher on one AP exam. The school ranks fifth in the state among all high schools on the U.S. News “College Readiness” index and fourth statewide on the “College Curriculum Breadth” index.
Hall has a 95% graduation rate while Conard’s rate is 94%.
According to data used by U.S. News & World Report for the most recent ranking, the total minority enrollment at Hall is 40.2%, and 20% of students are considered economically disadvantaged. At Conard, the report indicated the total minority enrollment is 46.3%, and 29% of students are considered economically disadvantaged.
“In coordination with North Carolina-based RTI International, a global nonprofit social science research firm, U.S. News ranked nearly 17,660 public high schools out of about 25,000 reviewed. This is the count of public high schools that had a 12th grade enrollment of 15 students or greater, or otherwise had sufficient enrollment in other high school grades, during the 2021-2022 school year to be analyzed,” U.S. News stated.
For 2024, the six measures and weights that determined each school’s rank were unchanged from previous years but use more recent data, U.S. News said.
“The 2024 Best High Schools rankings offer a starting point for parents to understand a school’s academic performance, whether it’s a prospective school or one that their child is already attending,” LaMont Jones, Ed.D., managing editor of education at U.S. News, said in a news release accompanying the rankings. “Accessible data on our high schools can empower families across the country as they navigate today’s educational environment and plan for the future.”
This year the overall top spot was claimed by BASIS Peoria, a BASIS Charter Schools Inc. school located in Peoria, AZ, that serves students in grades 5 through 12.
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