2013 US News & world report Maine High School Rankings (Portland: real estate, crime)

[atrixwolfe]

Since this comes up all the time.....
Here is the 2013 US news & world report Maine High School rankings.


Top Maine High Schools | Best High Schools | US News


Use your own Judgement and Opinions if their metric gathering is something that is meaningful to you.

[birdinmigration]

People say they don't care about this -- even people working in K-12 education say this list is bogus -- but the reality is there is a direct correlation between real estate values and 'perceived quality' of the schools in the community.

And where do people get a sense of 'perceived quality'? This exact list right here.

Think about that when voting down the local school budget, if you might ever want to sell your house, quality of the schools affects you economically.

And a whole bunch of other social ills start to infect communities that vote school support down. Cheaper real estate means people move in who might not be a positive influence in town. All of a sudden you have a rising crime rate, more expense for law enforcement, and the sense that the community is going down the tubes.

Do your own research if you don't believe me.

[Coaster]

Glad to see Maine School of Science and Mathematics in Limestone is number one again. Excellent school.

[flycessna]

Originally Posted by birdinmigration

People say they don't care about this -- even people working in K-12 education say this list is bogus -- but the reality is there is a direct correlation between real estate values and 'perceived quality' of the schools in the community.

And where do people get a sense of 'perceived quality'? This exact list right here.

Think about that when voting down the local school budget, if you might ever want to sell your house, quality of the schools affects you economically.

And a whole bunch of other social ills start to infect communities that vote school support down. Cheaper real estate means people move in who might not be a positive influence in town. All of a sudden you have a rising crime rate, more expense for law enforcement, and the sense that the community is going down the tubes.

Do your own research if you don't believe me.

The list IS bogus in the sense that the list does not consider that some schools are selective and students have to apply and get accepted.. And it does not consider how some communities are overwhelmed with students with special needs, language problems, and student from broken homes.. My wife and her family hail from Lewiston, all of them have graduated from College and some are actually teachers... They are well educated but I would hardly think Lewiston could hold a candle to most other schools in Maine when it comes to test scores... For me its the students who make the school.

I find it interesting that even though you acknowledge that wealthier communities have better rated schools you then make the correlation that it must be because they spend more money in the schools system??

Maybe they do spend more money but wealthier communities have a better class of people living in those communities (there! I said it.) kids coming from strong households who's parents are law abiding citizens stand to do much better in school then the welfare children in crime ridden communities.... kids from broken homes, poor value system, drug abused ect.. And the schools are going to be better prepared to educate those students..

Its a sad fact that if you really want to find a statistic that is almost always true, compare school test results and correlate it to its free lunch program...

The one anomaly for me is Bangor who always figures well into these rankings not only state wide but even nationally.. Bangor is a city and I would it expect to have similar problems to those that I mentioned but I just do not know enough about that City to say one way or another.. Bangor also excels in sports.

[Radio Flyer]

Originally Posted by flycessna

I find it interesting that even though you acknowledge that wealthier communities have better rated schools you then make the correlation that it must be because they spend more money in the schools system??

I've thought about this before and come to this conclusion...Wealthier parents generally have the luxury of more free time. When you're not working 3 jobs in order to put a roof over your head and food on the table, you have a lot more time to devote to your kids.

This translates to more time spent volunteering at the schools and attending school meetings, more time helping kids with homework and projects, more time to taxi your kids to after-school activities, more time just being there for them.... All of these things help to make kids feel like they are a priority. They feel secure and loved. Kids who are content are obviously better students.

Of course, some wealthy folks take this too far. They put their little angels up on pedestals. Sure, they're raising good students, but they're also raising arrogant little snots...But I digress.

There's a happy medium and it's unfortunate when parents really want the best for their child, but they simply don't have enough hours in the day to devote to them.

[Fern435]

Originally Posted by Radio Flyer

I've thought about this before and come to this conclusion...Wealthier parents generally have the luxury of more free time. When you're not working 3 jobs in order to put a roof over your head and food on the table, you have a lot more time to devote to your kids.
This translates to more time spent volunteering at the schools and attending school meetings, more time helping kids with homework and projects, more time to taxi your kids to after-school activities, more time just being there for them.... All of these things help to make kids feel like they are a priority. They feel secure and loved. Kids who are content are obviously better students.

Of course, some wealthy folks take this too far. They put their little angels up on pedestals. Sure, they're raising good students, but they're also raising arrogant little snots...But I digress.

There's a happy medium and it's unfortunate when parents really want the best for their child, but they simply don't have enough hours in the day to devote to them.

True, and it describes one of the high schools near the top of this list. Incredibly arrogant attitudes when they attend a competition at another school. They have developed a reputation for being condescending snobs to other schools. They act as if students from other schools are inferior to them. Even worse is they realize they have this reputation and seem to revel in it.

[Coaster]

Originally Posted by flycessna

The list IS bogus in the sense that the list does not consider that some schools are selective and students have to apply and get accepted.. And it does not consider how some communities are overwhelmed with students with special needs, language problems, and student from broken homes.. My wife and her family hail from Lewiston, all of them have graduated from College and some are actually teachers... They are well educated but I would hardly think Lewiston could hold a candle to most other schools in Maine when it comes to test scores... For me its the students who make the school.

The only selective school I saw on the list was MSSM (#1), which has a unique status as a public charter school. It doesn't include private high schools such as Catherine McAuley in Portland, North Yarmouth Academy, or John Bapst in Bangor. Nor did I see any of the public-private high schools, such as Lincoln Academy in Newcastle. I completely agree that community conditions play a large role in a school's ranking. Lewiston, with its large immigrant community and pre-existing socio-economic problems, would have difficulty ranking well on a list like this one.

I find it interesting that even though you acknowledge that wealthier communities have better rated schools you then make the correlation that it must be because they spend more money in the schools system??

Maybe they do spend more money but wealthier communities have a better class of people living in those communities (there! I said it.) kids coming from strong households who's parents are law abiding citizens stand to do much better in school then the welfare children in crime ridden communities.... kids from broken homes, poor value system, drug abused ect.. And the schools are going to be better prepared to educate those students..

Its a sad fact that if you really want to find a statistic that is almost always true, compare school test results and correlate it to its free lunch program...

The one anomaly for me is Bangor who always figures well into these rankings not only state wide but even nationally.. Bangor is a city and I would it expect to have similar problems to those that I mentioned but I just do not know enough about that City to say one way or another.. Bangor also excels in sports.

I've noticed Bangor HS's consistently high ranking as well. It was considered a really good school even when I lived up there in the early '70s. Given the competition for top students it faces from John Bapst and Bangor Christian School, I can only surmise that it has a really good school culture of excellence and some outstanding teachers.

Yes, the free lunch indicator is a good one, sad to say. Poverty has never been conducive to educational excellence.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

There are many private high schools in Maine who have all the local students attending those schools. Most are call 'academies'. Mattanawcook Academy is an exception. I don't think any of the other schools are on the chart. Lee Academy is an example. Pick a number for your school before you look. What proportion of the students should graduate as 'college ready'? What's your number, 40%? 20%? If your school has a number lower than 40% of its graduating students, that school is doomed. Its students in the uneducated 60% are doomed.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by birdinmigration

People say they don't care about this -- even people working in K-12 education say this list is bogus -- but the reality is there is a direct correlation between real estate values and 'perceived quality' of the schools in the community.

And where do people get a sense of 'perceived quality'? This exact list right here.

Think about that when voting down the local school budget, if you might ever want to sell your house, quality of the schools affects you economically.

And a whole bunch of other social ills start to infect communities that vote school support down. Cheaper real estate means people move in who might not be a positive influence in town. All of a sudden you have a rising crime rate, more expense for law enforcement, and the sense that the community is going down the tubes.

Do your own research if you don't believe me.

That's because (much to my chagrin) many people tend to believe what they read before researching it more fully IMHO.

Test scores can be skewed by a number of things - even as simply not getting enough sleep the night before, or being sick during a stretch of time where important material is given. Test anxiety is a biggie too.

Still, if that's all you've got to go by while choosing where to move from based on internet research because you really can't see for yourself before you up and move, I can see why people tend to lean on those numbers.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by Fern435

True, and it describes one of the high schools near the top of this list. Incredibly arrogant attitudes when they attend a competition at another school. They have developed a reputation for being condescending snobs to other schools. They act as if students from other schools are inferior to them. Even worse is they realize they have this reputation and seem to revel in it.

Oh yes. I've seen that type of behavior in my area as well. I find it infuriating to say the least.