Both West Hartford high schools were ranked in the top 15 in the state, and in the top 3 percent nationally in the 2019 U.S. News & World Report ranking of the country’s public high schools.

By Ronni Newton

West Hartford’s two public high schools – Conard High School and Hall High School – continue their legacy of earning top rankings in the state as well as nationally in the U.S. News & World Report 2019 list of the nation’s best high schools released Tuesday.

Once again, the rankings were a near tie for the schools, with Hall’s higher graduation rate (98 percent vs. 95 percent) and Conard’s higher college readiness index virtually the only factors separating the West Hartford schools, ranked no. 11 and 13 in the state respectively.

“It’s good news again, another good news story. I am so pleased,” Superintendent Tom Moore said Tuesday morning.

This year, nearly every public high school in the country was ranked, with a methodology that incorporates additional factors considered.

“To know that this town, that West Hartford has two high schools ranked so high, when [our demographics] include 25 percent free and reduced lunch and 44 percent diverse background, and you look at the schools we’re compared with among the state’s comprehensive high schools … once again it’s a testament to the hard work of our students, a credit to the challenging course work and the teachers that believe in them,” said Moore.

Each school was assigned a numerical score this year, with Hall earning a 96.98 out of 100, and Conard earning 96.84 out of 100. “They’re both pretty much the same – both A-plus schools,” Moore said.

Hall is 11th in the state and ranked no. 521 nationally, while Conard is 13th in the state and no. 545 nationally – among a total of 17,245 schools.

Hall had an AP exam participation rate of 73 percent, with minority enrollment at 36 percent and 15 percent of students classified as economically disadvantaged.

Hall ranked 514 out of 17,245 in college readiness, and 434th on the College Curriculum Breadth Index.

At Conard, AP exam participation was 77 percent. The population is 46 minority with 25 percent of the students classified as economically disadvantaged.

Conard ranked 425 out of 17,245 in college readiness, and 248th on the College Curriculum Breadth Index.

In past years, the rank order was “determined entirely by U.S. News’ College Readiness Index – measuring AP and IB exam participation and performance,” the news release stated. Rankings this year really should not be compared to those in the past, U.S. News stated.

Both Conard and Hall, however, saw an increase in their College Readiness Index score this year, with Conard earning a score of 64.7 and Hall receiving 62.1. Both scored 60.6 in 2018.

Statewide there were three magnet/charter schools ranked ahead of Hall, and CREC’s Academy of Aerospace and Engineering was in between Hall and Conard in the state rankings. Removing those schools from the rankings would put Hall in eighth place and Conard in ninth place among comprehensive high schools. Other than Simsbury High School which was ranked eighth overall in the state, the schools with higher ranks were all in Fairfield County.

“I’m very comfortable being compared to Darien, Weston, Ridgefield, New Canaan,” Moore said. “I can tell you those towns don’t look anything like ours.”

Moore said that West Hartford’s schools are doing the best they can for the students. “I couldn’t ask for anything more. … We want kids taking classes they want to be engaged in,” he said. He doesn’t want students being told they can’t take choir, or auto tech, just because it might impact the rankings.

“I’m very pleased that we can be a comprehensive high school and be ranked like this,” Moore said. Hall Principal Dan Zittoun and Conard Principal Julio Duarte are both very pleased as well, he said.

Connecticut’s top 15 high schools according to the 2019 U.S. News Ranking are: Darien, Weston, Achievement First Academy (Hartford), Ridgefield, Connecticut IB Academy (East Hartford), New Canaan, Staples (Westport), Simsbury, Wilton, Academy of Aerospace and Engineering (Windsor), Hall, Amistad Academy (New Haven), Conard, Greenwich, and Canton.

According to a U.S. News spokesperson, medals are not being awarded this year due to the more comprehensive approach and methodology which weights the College Readiness Index (30 percent), College Curriculum Breadth (10 percent), Math/Reading Proficiency (20 percent), Math/Reading Performance (20 percent), Underserved Student Performance (10 percent), and Graduation Rate (10 percent).

“Our mission with the Best High Schools rankings has always been to educate families about the schools in their district,” Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News said in the release. “By evaluating more schools than ever before, the new edition expands that focus so all communities can see which schools in their area are successfully serving their students – including historically underserved populations.”To read the full U.S. News & World Report ranking report, click here.

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