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EDINBURG – For the third consecutive year, all four high schools from the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District made the list of the Best High Schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, considered the “global authority in education rankings.”
“We are honored to receive these national distinctions for the third year in a row for our District,” said ECISD Superintendent Dr. Mario Salinas. “The fact that all four of our high schools received these awards for their high academic achievement is remarkable. We thank all of our students, parents, teachers, staff, and Board of Trustees for their hard work and support in earning these incredible recognitions.”
According to U.S. News, the 2021 Best High Schools rankings include data on more than 24,000 public high schools nationwide. The list consists of approximately 18,000 public high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Edinburg High School, Edinburg North High School, Economedes High School, and Vela High School were among the top 34% best high schools in the nation and the top 25% in the state.
“I am extremely proud of the collective efforts by our faculty that once again, excelled us to reach this outstanding academic accomplishment for our great school,” said Edinburg High School Principal Yesenia Molina. “I’m excited to receive this recognition and to highlight the work ethic of my teachers, staff, and parents; indicative of our joint commitment to see our students succeed and to highlight the value of public education. Bobcat Pride!”
“Edinburg North High School is honored to serve our community with a dedication to rigorous differentiated instruction, which propels our students to continual academic excellence and accolade attainment,” said Edinburg North High School Principal Mark Micallef. “Our highly qualified staff immerse themselves in the pursuit of knowledge with which to ignite the intrinsic passion for post-secondary success.”
The schools were ranked on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth, and graduation rates. Specifically, college readiness measures participation and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams.
“Although these past couple of years we celebrated being named to the U.S. News & World Report’s list of Best High Schools, this year’s accomplishment has an extra special meaning,” said Economedes High School Principal Jesus Mata. “Our JEHS students and teachers continue to thrive.”
“It is an honor to be a part of an award-winning school where the parents, staff, and community strive to make sure every student has all the tools needed for success,” Vela High School Principal Michele Pena said. “However, the most significant factor in this award is the RVHS students where excellence is tradition.”
The data used for the 2021 Best High Schools list was derived from the 2018-2019 academic school year and therefore was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Families can use the Best High Schools rankings to see how schools compare at the national, state, and local level on factors like graduation rates and college readiness,” said Anita Narayan, managing editor of Education at U.S. News. “The rankings also provide insight into academic performance among underserved groups.”
Edinburg CISD is currently enrolling students for the 2021-2022 school year. To register your child, visit register.ecisd.us or call (956) 289-2300.
