Best Public High Schools in Greater Dallas Area

Methodology

Four factors were considered for determining which DFW metroplex public high schools are best preparing their students for college: TEA accountability rating, percentage of students performing at "commended" level on TAKS, senior class mean scores on college entrance exams, and graduates performance as college freshmen.

Each high school included in the study was measured against six evaluation criteria that were selected to reflect these four factors. Within each evaluation category, the top rated school was awarded the maximum points allocated to that category and bottom rated school received zero points. All other schools were awarded a proportional number of points based on how their individual scores compared to the score of the top rated school. Scores from all six evaluation categories were then added together to arrive at the school's overall score.

TEA Accountability Rating: 15 points
Based on the Texas Education Agency 2008-2009 accountability ratings. Schools with an exemplary rating were awarded fifteen points, a recognized rating merited ten points, an academically acceptable rating was given five points and an academically unacceptable rating received zero points. For schools in a multiple campus high school arrangement, scores were weighted based on the number of grades taught at each school. For example, if a high school with grades ten through twelve had an exemplary rating and the ninth grade center received a recognized rating, the two campuses as a school unit would be awarded 14 total points (11.5 points for the high school rating and 2.5 points for the ninth grade center rating). Source: Texas Education Agency.

Students Performing at Commended Level on TAKS Tests: 35 points
Based on Texas Education Agency 2008-2009 TAKS scores. Fifteen points were awarded for performance at commended level on the reading/English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies tests and twenty points were allocated to performance at commended level on all four tests. For schools in a multiple campus high school arrangement, scores were weighted based on the number of students from each school who took the TAKS tests. Source: Texas Education Agency.

College Entrance Exams Scores: 30 points
Based on mean scores of the class of 2008 on college entrance exams. The schools with the highest mean SAT score and the highest mean ACT scores were each awarded fifteen points. Source: Texas Education Agency.

Performance of Graduates as College Freshman: 20 points
Based on percentage of students graduating in 2007 from a DFW public high school who earned a 3.0 GPA or higher in their first year at a public four-year university in Texas. Slightly more than 21 percent of all 2007 DFW public high school graduates attended a public four-year university in Texas, so if more 20 percent of a school's 2007 graduates attended such a university, it was awarded five points. If the school did not meet this threshold, it received zero points. Since the size of this particular group of students from any particular high school, as a percentage of all graduates, was generally statistically significant, the performance of these students as college freshman is also thought to be a reasonable approximation of the performance of all students attending any four-year university. Therefore, fifteen points were awarded to the school with the highest percentage of 2007 graduates earning a 3.0 GPA or better at a public Texas four-year university. Source: Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Texas Education Agency.