April 25, 2022
(Adapted from The Tribune)

TRUSSVILLE - The annual ranking of best public high schools in America by U.S. News and World report was released on Tuesday. Within the Tribune coverage area, one school, Hewitt-Trussville High School, made the top twenty list in Alabama at No. 16.

The report included a subset of best high school rankings in the four largest metro areas in Alabama consisting of Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery.

Five of the eight high schools in the Tribune coverage area, Hewitt-Trussville High School at No. 7, Shades Valley High School at No. 12, Moody High School at No. 13, Springville High School at No. 15, and Leeds High School at No. 16 were ranked in the top sixteen out of 67 high schools in the Birmingham Metro area.

The report uses data from multiple years to compile the rankings. Among the factors considered were an average proficiency in math, reading, and science in academic years 2016-17 through 2018-19 and the graduation rate for 2019-20.

Also considered in the rankings were the number of students taking and passing Advanced Placement tests. The percentage and performance of economically disadvantaged students in each school also factored into the rankings.

Leading the Birmingham Metro area rankings were Mountain Brook High School followed by Vestavia Hills High School, Homewood High School, Spain Park High School, and Oak Mountain High School.

Hewitt-Trussville’s seventh-place Birmingham Metro ranking showed the school had a math proficiency of 73%, a reading proficiency of 68%, and science proficiency of 67%. The graduation rate was 97%. Fifty-nine percent took at least one AP test and 41% passed at least one AP test with a qualifying score.

The rankings breakdown showed HTHS with a No. 5 state ranking for College Readiness Index and College Curriculum Breadth Index. The school placed at No. 15 for State Assessment Proficiency and No. 46 for Graduation.

Hewitt-Trussville came in the State Assessment Performance ranking at No. 189 in Alabama. The ranking factored performance on state assessment testing while giving consideration that HTHS has the third-lowest percentage of economically disadvantaged students in Alabama.

See more from The Tribune.

See the full rankings from U.S. News & World Report.