Four-peat champs: Nixa named top high school, again, by U.S. News & World Report

For the fourth year in a row, Nixa placed No. 1 on an annual national list of top public high schools in the Springfield metro area.

The 2024 Best High School rankings were released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report. Using specific criteria, heavily based on standardized test scores and college-preparatory courses, it ranks public high schools at the local, state and national level.

Nixa is ranked No. 1 among the 23 high schools in the Springfield metro area but No. 27 among the more than 350 high schools in Missouri.

LaMont Jones, managing editor of education at U.S. News, said the rankings "offer a starting point for parents to understand a school’s academic performance, whether it’s a prospective school or one that their child is already attending."

In a news release, Jones said: “Accessible data on our high schools can empower families across the country as they navigate today’s educational environment and plan for the future.”

How schools are ranked

The highest ranked schools are those whose students consistently score above expectations in reading, math and science on state-mandated tests, which in Missouri include end-of-course exams.

More: Nixa once again named top high school in Springfield metro by U.S. News & World Report

Schools are also highlighted if higher proportions of students earn qualifying scores in an array of college-level exams including Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. The rankings also take notice of the high schools with a higher percentage of historically underrepresented students performing well academically.

Springfield metro area rankings

In addition to the national and state rankings, U.S. News ranked high schools in more than 15 metro areas across Missouri including Columbia, Springfield, Kansas City and St. Louis.

Here are the rankings for the Springfield metro area:

• No. 1 − Nixa High School

• No. 2 − Ozark High School

• No. 3 − Willard High School

• No. 4 − Central High School, Springfield

• No. 5 − Republic High School

• No. 6 − Clever High School

• No. 7 − Marion C. Early High School, Morrisville

• No. 8 − Humansville High School

• No. 9 − Fordland High School

• No. 10 − Strafford High School

• No. 11 − Kickapoo High School, Springfield

• No. 12 − Fair Play High School

• No. 13 − Bolivar High School

• No. 14 − Ash Grove High School

• No. 15 − Fair Grove High School

• No. 16 − Glendale High School, Springfield

• No. 17 − Logan-Rogersville High School, Rogersville

The other high schools in the metro area include Buffalo, Hillcrest, Marshfield, Parkview, Sparta, and Spokane.

Missouri high school rankings

Of the 377 high schools ranked in Missouri, the top were all located in the St. Louis or Kansas City metro areas and include:

• No. 1 − Metro Academic and Classical High School, St. Louis

• No. 2 − Ladue Horton Watkins High School, Ladue

• No. 3 − Clayton High School

• No. 4 − Lincoln College Prep., Kansas City

• No. 5 − Lafayette Senior High School, Rockwood

Here is a look at how high schools in Springfield metro area, and other parts of southwest Missouri, fared on the list of Missouri's Top 100:

• No. 27 − Nixa High School

• No. 37 − Ozark High School

• No. 54 − Willard High School

• No. 65 − Carl Junction High School

• No. 66 − Webb City High School

• No. 69 − Branson High School

• No. 72 − Central High School, Springfield

• No. 85 − Republic High School

• No. 91 − Crane High School

• No. 97 − Verona High School

In Springfield, Hillcrest and Parkview were not ranked in the top 250, which are the only ones broken out. A look at where two other Springfield high schools ranked in Missouri:

• No. 178 − Kickapoo High School

• No. 246 − Glendale High School

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: U.S. News & World Report names Nixa top Springfield-area high school