Hillsborough County Has Record Four High Schools Ranked in America’s Top 100

Seminole Height's Hillsborough High School ranked 56th on the 2011 Washington Post High School Challenge, formerly Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools list, according to a news release issued by Linda Cobbe, spokeswoman for Hillsborough County Public Schools.

Plant High ranked 38th, King High ranked 52nd and Robinson ranked 81st. Another Central Tampa school, Chamberlain High ranked 493rd.

In addition to a record number in the top 100, the district also beat its record for the most schools on the list, with 18. Last year, 16 schools earned a spot on the list.

The scoring is based on the number of students who take Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or Cambridge tests divided by the number of graduating seniors. Participation in AP and IB classes prepares students for college-level work.

Robinson High broke into the top 100 this year for the first time. The other three top 100 schools compete for the highest ranking each year, and this year Plant displaced Hillsborough as the top-ranked high school in the district. Robinson moved up from 112th last year and King improved from 67th. Blake made the list for the first time in the school’s history, bursting into the rankings at 408th.

In recent years, Hillsborough County Public Schools has encouraged more high school students to take rigorous courses, such as AP. The district has a unique partnership with the College Board to maximize AP offerings and opened its fourth International Baccalaureate program at the high school level in August 2009.

Below is a complete list of Hillsborough County high schools and their rankings.

SCHOOL

RANKING

Plant

38

King

52

Hillsborough

56

Robinson

81

Wharton

130

Newsome

196

Gaither

252

Freedom

255

Bloomingdale

300

Blake

408

Chamberlain

493

Armwood

557

Plant City

561

Sickles

687

Alonso

729

Tampa Bay Tech

748

East Bay

825

Lennard

1204