The Best Schools 2008

Of the 141 schools, where does Masconomet rank? I cannot believe it did not make the list!

Why can't I find Lexington high school in this list?

Was it omitted in error; I can't believe it is not one of the highest ranked in the state.

Is this Public School Top 50 ranking in response to private schools dominating the top 25 ranking in 2006? Curious also why Dover-Sherborn is not ranked higher this year.

King Philip Regional did not make the list either? Agreed on Lexington being omitted. Very strange.

Algonquin is ranked above Boston Latin??? Jason Schwartz did you take basic math in school? MCAS and SAT scores are far better. This whole list is a joke. This writer is very lazy and does not do his homework!!

where's oliver ames high school?

I'm having a tough time understanding these rankings. How does Weymouth rank higher than Westwood and Winchester?

Where is Lexington High School, not even on your larger list on the web site?

How did they determine these rankings? Look at expenditures for Cambridge(almost two times more that other schools) and look at their MCAS and SAT scores (some of the lowest). Yet their ranking is in the teens?????

Why isn't Nashoba on the list

I believe Professor Allen selected the weighting system for the various criteria. While certainly an educated choice, such decisions are highly subjective. The vague explanation about how the ranking was determined is probably due to its complexity. As all HS statistic students realize, statistics are not to be believed unless one is convinced that data was properly collected and analyzed. This ranking is one expert's opinion. It would be easy to get a very different order by other experts. Hence, the folly of worrying about such articles that leave out some of our states greatest schools, or bragging about the ranking in your town. The title of best and smartest is exaggerated. I think this list purports to show schools that have increased test scores, AP courses, and clubs with a minimal increase in funding. That doesn't make them great schools. It's encouraging to see some of these towns improving, but I would send my kids to schools left off the list before I would send the

This list is sorted by cost efficiency - nothing else. Very misleading!Living in Lexington, I agree, the school system is not run cost effectively. Probably the same for the others not on the top 50. If you look at the other catagories, the ranking is different.

I was really surprised at how clearly Jason described in detail the atmosphere of Seideman’s dining room in this article, as I too was sitting there. However, I am taken aback by the coarseness and derisive manner with which Schwartz appraises the people and attitudes of the situation. This piece (which took Schwartz six months to write) would have been more impressive if Jason took a more compassionate look at the underlying emotion that drove many Newton residents to fight against raising taxes even to the detriment of losing teachers and policemen and the closing of our branch libraries. For all of the faults Newton may have, I don’t like anyone trash-talking my home. I am proud to live in Newton, even if I don’t always agree with how our local government is managed. Sorry Jason, go trash talk another town, not my Newton!

Why shouldn't Weymouth rank higher than Winchester or Westwood? Do you know anything about Weymouth High? Are you offended because you think that socioecomic status necesarily translates to children's academic performance or because you feel "entitled" to be ranked above them on the "list" (Westwood, Winchester) or to be on the list certainly if they are (Lexington)? What? - Weymouth, Malden, North Quincy, etc are not also so entitled? Be concerned for your own schools, don't knock other schools who students and teachers work just as hard and are as equally entitled to make the list if they make the grade . . Oh, and I am not from Weymouth, Malden, or Quincy . .but my town did make the list . . Perhaps education reforms are beginning to make a difference . . . one's zip code should not determine the quality of their education.

Poor Lexington, left off the list ... not even in the top 150 schools in the state. What a crying shame

Please write about the ranking of this school in a subsequent Boston Magazine since it is missing and is clearly a very good high school

What a silly list. It is clear that academic excellence is no longer reflected in determining these rankings. I am glad the rest of the world feels differently, and values extraordinary students and their teachers when it comes time to college admissions.

For an article that claims to rank schools by their "efficiency" I think the author should check the definition. He seems to have it backwards. Our school (Medfield) is ranked 21st academically and spends the 2nd least $/student (about $9400), yet is ranked 49th in terms of efficiency?! It should be ranked extremely high since our kids are getting a relatively good education for relatively few $'s/student. Many of the schools with high rankings spend far more per student, which seems less efficient.

What I have found from living in rich towns, poor towns and medium income towns, is that it is not the "tonyness" of the zip code or the exclusive nature of the real estate that determines academic performance. But like it or not, it IS the socioecomic status necesarily translating to children's academic performance because there are expectations by the parents. I purposely moved to the best-schooled town my wife and I could afford precisely because my children would be surrounded - inundated, by other children whose parent's expectations of academic performance were as high as ours. Like it or not that is a good thing. For all the towns where academic performance is low, I'll bet the majority of parents in that community do not put as high a premium on good education and, oh that dirty word, achievement as they do in towns where the predominant adult population simply makes more money. If we move again, and can afford to, we will pick the towns with the highest SAT scores and MCAS sco

i just cant believe malden made it to the list---were so broke in that school its no joke.

I was so happy to finally see Silver Lake Regional High School getting some recognition. The school offers so much from vocational to honors/ap classes. Congratulations for all of your hard work.

When are we going to admit that standardized test scores really are a socioeconomic measure of a community? They measure schools only insofar as schools are a reflection of the communities where they are located. Did Massachusetts really need to spend millions and millions of dollars on MCAS to find out that year after year, places like Lincoln-Sudbury, Concord Carlisle, Dove-Sherborn, and the like, are at the top of the MCAS heap, while year after year, places where poverty is endemic, like Holyoke, Lynn, Lawrence, are at the bottom? And don't tell me about how successful charter schools are in the inner city. No matter what, they represent self-selected populations with the common denominator of parents who value education. Meanwhile, the public school down the road is responsible for everyone who comes through the door. We live in a crazy world.

Nice to see Salem High in the top 50--where I believe there was a financial meltdown last year that led to the layoff of many teachers and devastated the system. What was this researcher smoking? And I see Hamilton-Wenham in the top 50--do I. Elaine Allen and Jason Schwartz even know HWRHS has been placed on warning by NEASC, the group that awards accreditation to high schools in New England?

I am becoming a huge sceptic of these "best schools" lists... US News and World Report rated Belmont as one of the best High Schools in the US (and very few schools from MA were on that list) and now Boston Magazine rates Belmont #105??!! I think statitics should be used very carefully, and not used to manipulate whatever the researcher wishes to prove. I remain very confused, and somewhat angry, by how this particular research study was run. I think Boston Magazine should be embarrased by how poorly this research study was done. Were they in a rush to meet some sort of a deadline, or simply desperate to sell magazines?? In my opinion, that must be the case.

Boston Magazine has done everyone a disservice by completing a highly subjective and incomplete survey of public high schools. In the case of Lexington High School, one of the best high schools in the state, I guess it is just as well that the school was left out of the analyis, reflecting the overall quality of the editorial effort on this project. Maybe it is time for the editors of Boston Magazine to take stock of this effort and devote the needed resources to do the subject justice. Maybe a correction including those schools that were left out of the analysis is in order? This effort so far is at best incomplete.

Do readers take into the consideration the property owner in Massachusetts ? The burden on homeowners must change in this State . Why are some school systems run well and some are expensive with lower results for the spending amount ?

Hey, the ship is sinking. The community has shifted and so many students are in the system till dad gets a new job(in some other town). BEDFORD has for year adopted the mantra: "find out what Lexington is doing, and do the opposite" Maybe its time to look into why millions of tax payers money went into the rebuilding of Lexington High, only for it to look as if a few walls were repainted. Has anyone seen Woburn High? Kudos to them on a remarkable shift in both esthetics and personal.

it figures that an area that busts the budget on the big dig would spend 200 mil on a school. i've never heard anything so outrageous in my life. the tragedy is that, in all likelihood, the kids will be getting a mediocre education- at best. living in n.j. I know how it is. but not even we're this bad. Can you spell REFORM?

It's a bit cheap to say "everyone knows Lexington is a great school." And it's a bit lazy to say people from Lexington are just sore losers. Based on MCAS results from 2007, Lexington High School was in the top 25 in both math and English. Good school or simply lots of overbearing parents? Who knows? But lets not fight. I mean, Massachusetts is still superior to every other state, agreed?

I was greatly dismayed to see Nashoba Valley Regional High School omitted from this list and perplexed to see that a neighboring public high school is included that is largely regarded as poor in comparison. In a recent ranking by US News and World Report, Nashoba was one of the few schools in MA to meet the criteria set forth to be a top high school and, in fact, achieved silver distinction status, a well-deserved honor. Is the author also unaware of the fact that the Maynard school district has approached its neighbors (Nashoba Regional School District, Lincoln-Sudbury, Acton-Boxborough)every year for the past few years to accept their students since the town cannot procure adequate funding to invest in the building, the teachers or the students? I am fairly certain that beyond the financial burden of taking on hundreds of additional students with little to be offered in return, a significant reason behind the lack of interest from neighboring towns was the fact that resdients there

does it matter what some subjective list say about your school? what matters most is what you teach your child at home. it all starts at home.

Thanks to very subjective statisical use, Lexington didn't make the top 141. LHS's student scores, graduation rates and other stats speak for themselves. Two complaints with this issue: The data is from 2005! That's a failed override and a whole principal and superintendent ago! Also, nice slideshow - about half the kids from Newton, none from Lexington? Why the hate? Guess this means we'll be top ten next year...

why do folks from Lexington get so nervous when they are not mentioned? afraid property values will go down? that your money is not being well spent? that there will be another prop 2 override? there is a column for 2007 scores and 2005 scores to show trends..who met AYP last year?? anybody know? there are some schools that have outstanding accomplishments and they are not on the list and they do not live in Lexington. so enjoy your new principal and super and flooded basement and 2 days to make up to start off the year...

Graduated from Lexington High School and have taught at both Lexington and Newton North. Lexington has gone downhill. The building is a dump and it is hard to see where all the money went for the renovations as it looks the same as it did 20 years ago. More importantly academicaally it is a shell of its former self with tons of good teachers and administators leaving to go other places in recent years for a variety of reasons. Newton, while no stranger to bad publicity with regards to the building project at North, is light years ahead of Lexington from an academic standpoint and provides students with an incredible high school experience.

Graduated from Lexington High School and have taught at both Lexington and Newton North. Lexington has gone downhill. The building is a dump and it is hard to see where all the money went for the renovations as it looks the same as it did 20 years ago. More importantly academicaally it is a shell of its former self with tons of good teachers and administators leaving to go other places in recent years for a variety of reasons. Newton, while no stranger to bad publicity with regards to the building project at North, is light years ahead of Lexington from an academic standpoint and provides students with an incredible high school experience.

It could not be coincidence that adjacent schools have 12 of 14 identical data points. Yet Framingham is ranked 13 and Foxborough is 122. Which school's data is correct?

Why has Oliver Ames HS not listed? Students have been living with the just completed renovation project for 4 years and still have some of the highest test scores in the state.

As a long-time W resident and having raised two daughters who graduated from wonderful W public schools, I do understand why this report would disturb many folks. Imagine if our children came home announcing they're #11 or #132. Criteria may be manipulated to produce varying results that will refute or support the public's perception of the TOP TEN. As a realtor who is often asked to recommend towns with the BEST (or better) schools, it is that perception (deserved or not) that drives parents to pay more for a home to give their kids the competitive edge in the marketplace! While I saw my W town's stature had slipped from this magazine's previous articles ranking BEST SCHOOLS, my reaction was similar to those previously expressed here. It's a sensitive topic that evokes emotional disbelief when OUR school falls off the list. By the way, I live in Westwood, one of the Best Places to Live in the U.S.A., according to another survey. Congratulations to the towns that ranked high in this ar

There are 351 school districts in Massachusetts. How did you decide which ones you would put on the list. Some schools dropped off the the list and other are ranked very different from last year. Why? Some schools are ranked high with the U.S. News Report. What did you wake up in the night and say I think this is a good school? It's all about cost.

FYI Boston Latin is ranked 4th and Algonquin 11th. It pays to read the heading carefully.

Hard to tell from the rankings, but schools do indeed exist West of 495. There are a lot of great schools doing many wonderful things with far far fewer resources than those on the eastern side of 495. Many schools out this way struggle to meet our minimum contribution to the state Chp 70 formula. I applaud the towns that have given so much to their schools that they are being told by the state that they are contributing too much money to the Chp 70 equation. However, that is not to say that those of us in towns that do not meet our target do not support our schools with everything we can. My neighbors and I are no less dedicated to education, but we only have so much to give, especially in these economic times. NCLB needs to be reformed and FULLY funded. It has been severely underfunded; nowhere near what was promised when it began. We need our Federal Government to made education a priority to help take the load off of the states backs, and in turn allow the towns to n

...not have to rely so heavily on property taxes and prop 2.5 overrides to fund the schools and municipal budgets. There is no reason that every student should not receive a Brookline/Lincoln-Sudbury/Weston education. Just think what we could have done with that $400 billion tab that Bush has run up...Our children should be our number 1 priority.

If you think the situation with our schools is bad now, think about the effect that eliminating the State Income Tax will have on our schools. If Question 1 to repeal the income tax passes, the effect will be felt immediately in January. $12 billion in revenue (about 40%) will be cut from the state budget. Picture a 40% cut in resources at your school and in your town. Teachers, books, roads, bridges...all will suffer. Please vote NO on Question 1 in November. Save our schools. Save our childrens future.

How is it possible that Oliver Ames (Easton)Highschool is not on this list. One of the higest graduation rates to college in the state. Exceptional testing scores. Yet Randolph High and Middleboro High are on the list? Absurd! I graduated from Newton South High School the diffrences between Oliver Ames and Newton South is Marginal. Clearly they are trying to cater to the Rt 128 area subscibers. No queston that the author,s nonsense never visited any of these schools but lives in a dual county league town. The editors of this magazine sould be ashamed. What's that you say? They live in the Newton Brookline area also? What a suprise!!!!

Boston Latin School highest MCAS and SAT scores. SUMUS PRIMI! Brookline, L-S,and Weston, please assume your places in line behind the Wolfpack.

wow if ever more proof was needed, this exemplifies why tewksbury is in dire need for a new school .. 140 out of 141 EMBARRASSING hopefully this serves as a wake up call to the people in our town who have simply swept this issue under the rug for years and years allowing it to escalate to this point

Where is Lexington, Where is _____ (insert town here)? It's not just academic performance. It's cost efficiency. Obviously schools with more tax money in richer towns will be higher performing. This report shows the ones that get high performance with cost efficiency -- read the "About our Rankings"!

Only $9000 per pupil cost, great test scores yet it didn't make the Top 50? (it's on the list of 141). It's one of the leanest run school systems in the state for academic return per $. It's always been on par (or was considered to be on par) with schools like Natick, Hopkinton, Holliston, etc which made Top 50....test scores in same range with cheaper costs. Am confused re. the data and scoring system used here by Boston Mag.

The Best SAT scores in the state, Outstanding extracuricular activities, arts, music, athletics (State Champions in Softball 2008), diverse, community oriented, college acceptance list reads like a Prep School, and maintains these standars for a student body of 2,000. You can rank them 5th, 50th or 500th. No school, public or private, does a better job of preparing their students for college.

tewksbury memorial high school is rated lower than one would expect.tests scores averaged brings our success rate higher than schools scored above us.it is of my oppinion that the tests scores are not the only factor.speaking for our community--we are up there with number one...but...our drop out rate is astronomical..a 911 call...terrible times for local massachusetts high schools...mcas is something to be proud of...so all 300+ communities ae better off than the rest of the country...agsin...but...we have a drop out rate that is unacceptable and recieves a failing grade...what ever happened to not accepting drop outs in our society..we need to focus on this and if exclaiming these numbers will help..then use them as a visual affect of why we are not succeeding at our massachusetts'high schools.

This list is a joke. AB has the second-highest SAT scores, among the top three MCAS scores, a top theater department, nationally recognized band, and some of the top sports teams in the state (think girls, not just football: last year, AB girls were Division 1 state champs in field hockey, soccer, and volleyball). AB academics attract people from all over because they are top-notch, our facilities are unbeatable, and our student body full of overachievers who consistently rank at the top of the list for Ivy League acceptances. And it's ranked 31st on your list for academics? Give me a break. Weymouth who?

You seem to have overlooked the South Coast of the state. Where are school districts such as Old Rochester Regional, Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven...the list goes on and on. You have also neglected to look at Cape Cod. What about the people in these communities who are looking to make educated decisions about the education of their children in these areas. If you are going to publish a study like this it seems the whole state should be included.

Charter schools are public schools. Why weren't they included in the evaluation? Is someone afraid of making the comparison?

Where the heck is Dedham High....I can't believe Norwood made the list and not Dedham!

SUMUS PRIMI! Read it and weep.

Shocked to not see OA on this list? Why would they be completely omitted. Doesn't Easton have a top-notch school system?

what about a top middle schools list? public and private?

No King Philip...brand new school, great technology, how did it not make the list?

I lived in Lexington for almost 20 years. It used to have a good reputation, but having had one child attend Lexington HS, I can honestly say the school is a zoo. People need to wake up; money does not equal excellence. Nor does "how it used to be".

great schools are so much more than mcas and test scores...it is the culture in this town that motivated us to move here...incredibly diverse and family centric. Just go the the library on any given day and see and hear the many different languages spoken. We live in a global world and I am happy to have my children to be exposed to this. Lists like these miss all of that.

I challenge any school listed to have independent If high test scores are not produced, a young teacher may be asked not to return. The unions know about this activity and secretly support it because they are corrupt like the Boston Teachers Union, and their only concern is about teachers. Students are secondary if at all. It is an injustice for a child anywhere to receive anything less than a quality education. Let's fight for their rights!

The best learning environments often provide the maximum opportunity for success. This approach doesn't usually lead to economic efficiency. If an education institution wanted to be "efficient," they would have one class section for each course. Of course, we're talking about public schools, versus E. Digby Baltzell's Select 16 Schools, historically, the most academically and socially selective secondary schools in America. For Massachusetts, Select 16 Schools include Deerfield Academy,The Groton School, Middlesex School, Phillips Academy, and St. Mark's School.

I don't know which is the best high school in MA