Authored by Carly Hart in Education
Published on 11-22-2009
Some of the best high schools in Virginia are located in Northern Virginia, including Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, which has topped U.S. News and World Report’s list for the top high schools in the United States for the past two years. Thomas Jefferson High School is located in Alexandria, Virginia, an affluent suburb of Washington, D.C. Students there receive a well-rounded education, but with a focus on science, math and technology. Students must apply to be considered and must reside within participating counties or municipalities to be eligible for entry. Since Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology has held the prestigious top slot in the entire nation for the past two years, it’s ranking alone makes TJ one of the best schools in Virginia.
Aside from Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, the Northern Virginia area also has many other high schools that are highly rated as some of the best high schools in Virginia. McLean High School in McLean, Virginia was ranked 55th out of 100 in U.S. News and World Report’s Top 100 Schools in the Nation. McLean High School also was the recipient of a 2009 Board of Education Education Excellence Award.
Also rated highly in U.S. News and World Report’s Top 100 list was Langley High in McLean, Virginia. Located in Fairfax County, this 9-12 high school came in rated 76th out of 100 schools in the U.S. News and World Report list. Langley High beat out another Fairfax County high school that appeared in that list. Woodson High School was rated 90th out of 100. Suffice to say, Fairfax County, Virginia is chock full of some of Virginia’s best high schools.
Do you have to live in Northern Virginia to attend one of the best high schools in Virginia? No. There are other highly ranked high schools in Virginia that aren’t located in the Washington, D.C. metro area including Virginia High School, which is located near the Tennessee border in Bristol, Virginia. Virginia High School was given a bronze star by U.S. News and World Report, and was awarded an Education Excellence Award by the Board of Education.
Also ranking highly were high schools near the state’s capital of Richmond. Henrico County’s Deep Run High and Godwin High received a silver stars from U.S. News as did Chesterfield County’s Midlothian High and the City of Richmond’s Richmond Community High School. Deep Run High was also a 2009 Board of Education Education Excellence Award recipient.
According to the Department of Education of Virginia, Board of Education Education Excellence Awards are given only to those schools that have met “all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and made significant progress toward Governor Kaine’s goal for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunity.” Any school that appears on both of the lists is definitely one of the best high schools in Virginia.
Parents seeking to find the best high schools in Virginia to send their student to may wish to review the entire list of highly ranked Virginia schools at U.S. News & World Report’s site. This can be done by clicking first source listed below. The Board of Education’s 2009 Excellence Award’s list is also sourced below.
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