Cranford Named One of 'America’s Best High Schools' by Newsweek

Cranford High School was ranked as the No. 206 best high school in the country, according to Newsweek’s “America’s Best High Schools” rankings released on Monday.

CHS gained this ranking due to several criteria including a 99% graduation rate, 98% of college-bound students and a 1713 average SAT score.

The ranking also stated that the average ACT score was a 23.9, average amount of AP/IB tests taken per student being 0.7 and the average AP score being a 3.6. Cranford’s overall Newsweek score came out to a 3.41 out of 5.

Cranford High School Principal Rui Dionisio said they are honored to be named one of the best high schools in the nation.

“Our significant progress over the past several years is a testament to the commitment of our dedicated educators. Seldom is it by chance that student achievement improves but rather it is the result of a concerted effort by teachers and all staff supporting innovation and our vision for learning," he told Patch. "It is a collective effort that includes extensive data analysis, focused teacher training, frequent monitoring of student progress, and a commitment to caring for our students.”

Cranford's ranking as an "America's Best High School" moved up 73 spots on the list from last year.

Newsweek’s rankings were compiled from a survey sent out by Newsweek to more than 5,000 high schools in the U.S. and for 2013 roughly 2,500 schools responded.

Resulting scores from the surveys were then weighted and calculated using several criteria including on-time graduation and college acceptance rates. Although Newsweek previously averaged the number of courses offered, this year they considered the percentage of students enrolled in AP, IB or Advance International Certificate courses. The final scores then determined Newsweek’s final rankings.

Read more about Newsweek's methodology here.