Area high schools make 'Newsweek' list

By MIKE BRASSFIELD

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 5, 2000

Pinellas County's newest high school, Palm Harbor University High, is the 14th-best high school in the entire country, according to Newsweek magazine.

Not only that, but St. Petersburg High School ranks 28th and King High School in Tampa ranks 71st in an article in this week's issue of the magazine.

All three schools made Newsweek's list because they're magnet schools that offer the academically rigorous International Baccalaureate program.

The article, titled "The 100 Best High Schools," takes the point of view that putting students through International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement courses will best prepare them for college.

Schools are typically ranked by SAT scores. But Newsweek argues that the best schools are those that try the hardest to involve students in college-level courses and tests. So it ranks the country's 25,000 high schools according to a specific ratio: the number of AP or I.B. tests taken by all students divided by the number of graduating seniors.

"That's a good criteria," said Pinellas schools Superintendent Howard Hinesley. "But if you're using I.B. as a criteria, obviously those schools are going to have an advantage."

Still, Hinesley sees this as affirmation that Pinellas County is a leader in offering tough courses. Newsweek's point is that such classes are all too rare. It says AP and I.B. exams are given in only half of American high schools each May, and 16 states don't appear on the magazine's list of 450 top schools.

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