Dawson High School

DHS has once again made "Newsweek's" ranking of America's best high schools and -- for the first time -- landed on the "U.S. News & World Report" Best High Schools and "Washington Post" High School Challenge lists.

"Newsweek" Ranking
Thanks to its effectiveness in turning out college-ready graduates, DHS ranked No. 805 on "Newsweek's" list of 1,000 best public high schools in the nation.

"Newsweek" assessed more than 2,300 schools to produce the final list. To be considered for the 2012 list, schools had to complete a survey requesting specific data from 2010-11.

Respondents were ranked based on these statistics:
• Four-year, on-time graduation rate (25 percent)
• 2011 graduates accepted to college (25 percent)
• AP/IB/AICE tests per student (25 percent)
• Average SAT and/or ACT score (10 percent)
• Average AP/IB/AICE exam score (10 percent)
• AP/IB/AICE courses offered per student (5 percent)

DHS has a graduation rate of 100 percent, with 86 percent of graduates bound for college. In addition, students scored an average of 1528 on the SAT and 2.8 on their AP exams.

"U.S. News" Ranking
In the "U.S. News" analysis of 21,776 public high schools nationwide, DHS ranked No. 101 in Texas and 1,266 in the nation.

According to the study, schools that achieved the list serve all students well -- whether college-bound or career-focused.

The study examined performance of traditional and economically-disadvantaged students on standardized tests as well as preparation for college-level work through AP classes and exams.

Approximately 39 percent of DHS students took AP exams, with an average of 4.5 exams per test taker.

"Washington Post" Ranking
In the "Washington Post" High School Challenge, DHS ranked No. 73 in Texas and No. 769 in the U.S.

The "Post's" Challenge Index strives to measure how effectively schools prepare students for college by dividing the number of college-level tests a school gave in 2010 (AP, IB, etc.) by the number of graduating seniors.