Eight Hamilton County schools ranked in the top 100 best high schools in Tennessee in the latest list from U.S. News and World Report, with one school making the top 10.
"Hamilton County Schools is proud of the work these schools have done to receive this type of recognition," Superintendent Bryan Johnson said in a statement. "A key focus in our strategic plan is strengthening our high schools so they can best prepare our students for the next step after graduation, and having eight of our high schools make the U.S. News and World Report's Best Rankings affirms our work."
Rankings for the eight Hamilton County high schools are:
> Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts - 10
> Signal Mountain Middle High School - 26
> Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy - 28
> Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences - 41
> Hamilton County Collegiate High At Chattanooga State - 47
> Soddy Daisy High School - 48
> East Hamilton High School - 60
> STEM School Chattanooga - 97
"We continue to be amazed by all the effort and accomplishments that our students continue to share with the entire Chattanooga community, their success as not only academic achievers but as artists," Chattanooga High School Center for Creative Arts principal Debbie Smith told the Times Free Press Monday. "That's been very important to us, that we continue on this path of making arts and academics equally important as we look at our total school program."
CCA received a national award for magnet schools, along with Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts, in March. The school also will welcome a new principal, current Hamilton County Schools chief of innovation Jill Levine, in the fall.
"While I have loved serving schools in my current role, I have really missed being around teachers and kids every day in a school. I am excited about joining the CCA team and working with the community to develop ideas and plans to expand the school's artistic reach throughout the district and greater community," Levine said in a statement.
Six criteria determine the list, with college readiness weighted the most at 30% and based around the proportion of seniors who take and pass Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exams. Other criteria include graduation rates and test performance among underserved populations.
Other area school districts made the top 100 list, with Cleveland High School ranked at 62 and Walker Valley High School in Bradley County ranked at 63.
A separate list ranks the top high schools in the Chattanooga area. The top 10 mostly consists of the same schools from the state list, but others include Heritage High School in Ringgold, Georgia, in eighth place and Ivy Academy in Soddy-Daisy ranked 10.
Contact Anika Chaturvedi at achaturvedi@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6592.