For the fourth time since 2012, Hamilton High School was named to Newsweek Magazine’s prestigious “America’s Top High Schools” list. Hamilton was one of only 500 American high schools recognized for proven effectiveness in turning out college-ready graduates. New for Hamilton in 2016 was being ranked a “Beating the Odds” high school for attaining high student achievement while overcoming the challenges presented by poverty and economic disadvantage.
Hamilton was among only 21 of Wisconsin’s 511 public high schools on “America’s Top High Schools” list and one of 14 on the “Beating the Odds” list. Newsweek created the list by first identifying schools that perform at or above the 80th percentile within each state and then calculating a college-readiness score for each school based on measures including Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credits, ACT or SAT exam scores, counselor-to-student ratio, graduation rate and college enrollment rate.
Hamilton’s overall rank in the past two years improved from 434 in 2014 to 337 in 2016. Last spring Hamilton also earned other national accolades. Hamilton was ranked No. 17 in Wisconsin on the 2016 U.S. News “Best High Schools” list and was also one of only 33 Wisconsin high schools named to the Washington Post America’s “Most Challenging High Schools list.”
Hamilton Principal Candis Mongan said being named again to Newsweek’s best high schools list is an honor because it reaffirms the commitment of Hamilton teachers who continually work to advance their teaching skills.
“We appreciate that the work of our staff in reaching students is being recognized through this award,” Mongan said. “Teachers at Hamilton are personalizing learning so that students are being challenged and meeting their academic and personal goals. That is the most rewarding aspect of our work.”
Superintendent Paul Mielke, Ph.D., said the high ranking is a great honor for the district.
“Being named one of America’s Top High Schools reflects the support and commitment from our community, parents, students and staff for a rigorous program that meets the needs of all students.”
He noted that the district’s Strategic Plan and the high school site plan have success indicators that include the factors that Newsweek used to rank America’s top high schools.