Valle Verde Early College High School and Bel Air High School are among the city’s top-ranked public high schools, and five Ysleta ISD high schools were among the top 10 highest-ranked comprehensive public high schools in the El Paso area, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best High Schools list.
This year’s Best High Schools list shows that among traditional, magnet, and charter public schools, Valle Verde Early College High School was ranked 3rd in El Paso; 80th in Texas; and 519th in the nation.
Valle Verde ECHS has won numerous recognitions in recent years, including being named a 2017 National Blue Ribbon School, 2020 Texas Honor Roll School, and 2019-2022 Apple Distinguished School.
Additionally, among traditional comprehensive public high schools in the El Paso area, five YISD campuses ranked in the top 10: Bel Air High School (4th ), Del Valle High School (5th ), J.M. Hanks High School (6th ), Parkland High School (8th ), and Eastwood High School (10th ).
District officials add that among Texas public schools ranked on this year’s Best High Schools list, 75% of Ysleta ISD high schools are ranked in the top 400 in the state – they are Valle Verde ECHS (80th ), Bel Air HS (299th ), Del Valle HS (307th ), J.M. Hanks HS(365th), Parkland HS (372nd ), and Eastwood HS (385th ).
Every spring, U.S. News & World Report releases its Best High Schools list based on information from the U.S. Department of Education, statewide assessments, the College Board, and International Baccalaureate.
The list numerically ranks high schools nationally and within each state based on six areas:
- College Readiness (30%)
- Math & Reading Proficiency (20%)
- Math & Reading Performance (20%)
- Underserved Student Performance (10%)
- College Curriculum Breadth (10%)
- Graduation Rate (10%)
The highest-ranked U.S. public schools are those whose students demonstrated outstanding outcomes above expectations in math and reading state assessments, earned qualifying scores in an array of college-level exams, and graduated in high proportions.
