Texas Border Business
A national publication recognized all five McAllen ISD high schools among America’s best.
U.S. News & World Report publishes “Best High Schools Rankings 2021.” This is the seventh straight year McAllen ISD has had high schools recognized by either U.S. News & World Report or The Washington Post. The McAllen ISD schools are:
- Achieve Early College High School
- McAllen Memorial High School
- James “Nikki” Rowe High
- McAllen High School
- Lamar Academy
Achieve Early College High, a 2021 national Blue Ribbon Award nominee, is ranked 21st in Texas and 130th in the USA.
“I’m very proud of our students, our teachers, our administrators and all the support staff,” McAllen ISD Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez, Ed.D., said. “This is a true team effort. To all the parents, thank you for making McAllen ISD your district of choice. I want to thank our Board of Trustees for their continued support and the City of McAllen for always working hard to be a team player with us. To be ranked amongst the best in the nation with all five of our high schools is a testament to the hard work that we put in and a testament to our community as a whole.”
The top-ranked schools have a high rate of students who scored above expectations in math and reading state assessments, passed an array of college-level exams, and graduated in four years.
The U.S. News Best High Schools Rankings include data on nearly 24,000 public high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly 17,900 schools were ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.
The six factors are:
- College Readiness (30%)
- College Curriculum Breadth (10%)
- Math & Reading Proficiency (20%)
- Math & Reading Performance (20%)
- Underserved Student Performance (10%)
- Graduation Rate (10%)
McAllen ISD is a district of choice, offering STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Math) in Pre-K-12, International Baccalaureate in grades 1-12, Advanced Placement courses, Career Technical Education (CTE) in 14 career clusters where students earn professional licenses or certifications plus four dual enrollment academies. McAllen ISD also offers students the chance to earn any of five endorsements (career paths) recognized in Texas.
McAllen High, McAllen Memorial and McAllen Rowe high schools are traditional schools offering multiple educational paths and electives including opportunities in fine arts, athletics, CTE and more.
Achieve Early College High has earned many accolades since it first opened in 2008. The school earned a national Blue Ribbon Award in 2015 and was nominated for a second Blue Ribbon Award in 2021. The campus was named a top ranked high school in the Rio Grande Valley by Children at Risk for 2020. Achieve was also named to the State Honor Roll for the fifth consecutive year earlier this semester. Through its relationship with South Texas College, Early College High School students can earn an Associate’s Degree before they graduate high school. In fact, last year, the campus set a school record with 87.6% of its graduates earning their Associates Degree through STC.
Lamar Academy is home to the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme — a world-renowned learning framework. Students can earn an IB diploma in addition to their high school diploma. In fact, students with an IB Diploma can get a minimum of 24 credit hours at any state university in Texas. In 2001, McAllen ISD became the first district in the Rio Grande Valley to offer the IB Diploma Programme. Historically, McAllen ISD students have earned the IB diploma with a success rate of 94.4 percent – one of the highest rates in the world.
“Best High Schools Rankings 2021”
https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/texas
