Joy Harris
Hartselle Enquirer

Newsweek named Hartselle High among America’s Best High Schools in its list of the top 2,000 public schools in the nation.

Hartselle came in at 1,595th nationally and 16th in the state of Alabama. Newsweek uses graduation rate, college acceptance rate, AP/IB/AICE tests taken per student, average SAT/ACT score, average AP/IB/AICE score, and percent of students enrolled in at least one AP/IB/AICE course to determine which schools are most effective in producing college-ready graduates.

Hartselle’s graduation and college bound rates were both 87 percent. The average ACT score of Hartselle students is 22.6, and the average AP score is 2.4 (out of 4).

Jeff Hyche, Hartselle High School principal, was proud of Hartselle’s recognition.

“I was very pleased in that everyone ahead of us is either affluent with very few issues of poverty or a magnet school drawing the best from a wide area across school district lines other than Athens,” Hyche said.

Superintendent Dr. Mike Reed was not surprised to see Hartselle ranked nationally.

“I didn’t know we would be ranked in the top 2,000, but I knew were would be highly ranked, “ Reed said. “This is quite an honor. It is a well-deserved achievement for the teachers and the students. Our staff has worked hard to make Hartselle succeed.”

Dr. Reed attributed the success to high AP and ACT scores and a good college acceptance rate.

Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School- Shades Valley of Irondale was ranked as Alabama’s top school. It was ranked 15^th nationally with an average ACT score of 29 and an average SAT score of 1906.

Twenty Alabama high schools made the Newsweek list:

1. Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School – Shades Valley, Irondale

2. Mountain Brook High, Mountain Brook

3. Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, Mobile

4. Booker T. Washington Magnet High School, Montgomery

5. Vestavia Hills High School, Vestavia Hills

6. Oak Mountain High School, Birmingham

7. Spain Park High School, Hoover

8. Huntsville High School, Huntsville

9. New Century Technology High School, Huntsville

10. Auburn High School, Auburn

11. Virgil I. Grissom High School, Huntsville

12. Homewood High School, Homewood

13. Bob Jones High School, Madison

14. Brewbaker Technology Magnet School, Montgomery

15. Athens High School, Athens

16. Hartselle High School, Hartselle

17. Ramsay High School, Birmingham

18. Florence High School, Birmingham

19. Cullman High School, Cullman

20. Hewitt Trussville High School, Trussville

The full list can be found at www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/05/06/america-s-best-high-schools.