Millard high schools make Newsweek top list
Newsweek magazine has named Millard North, South and West high schools in its list of America’s top 1,500 high schools. Only four Nebraska schools made the list.
The selected schools rank in the top six percent of the nation’s public high schools, according to a rating system devised by Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews. The ratio is determined by the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge tests taken by all students at a school in 2008 divided by the number of graduating seniors.
The Nebraska schools and their national rankings according to Newsweek are Millard North at No. 1,079, Millard South at No. 1,147, Millard West at No. 1,263 and Westside at No. 1,411.
“This achievement did not happen by chance,” said Superintendent Keith Lutz. “Millard’s strategic plan called for the high schools to create an AP culture. Our ultimate goal is to have all Millard students take at least one AP course if they plan to go to college.”
Millard students take 25 percent of the AP exams in the state, even though our three high schools account for only 7 percent of Nebraska’s total high school enrollment. The number of AP test-takers in Millard has jumped from 915 in 2006 to 1,877 in 2008. Millard North also offers International Baccalaureate classes.
