Northwest Arkansas high schools top U.S. News state ranking for 2022

Rankings name Haas Hall, Bentonville and Founder’s

Haas Hall Bentonville
Haas Hall Bentonville

Arkansas' top three public high schools are all in the northwest corner of the state, according to U.S. News & World Report's latest rankings, released Tuesday.

Haas Hall Academy in Fayetteville once again leads the state and is 13th in the national ranking for high schools, after placing 50th on last year's national list.

"Our successes are because of our highly qualified faculty, engaged scholars and dedicated parents," said Martin Schoppmeyer, superintendent and founder of the school.

Schoppmeyer said he was pleased to see the school's national ranking improve this year.

"It goes to show hard work pays off," he said.

Founders Classical Academy in Bentonville, formerly known as Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy, ranks second in the state -- up from 82nd last year -- and 201st nationally.

"We're thrilled -- absolutely ecstatic," Susan Provenza, state director of classical schools, said in reaction to the school's No. 2 ranking.

The school, managed by ResponsiveEd Solutions of Lewisville, Texas, is opening a second campus in Rogers in August.

Bentonville High School is third in the state and 630th in the nation, according to the rankings. The school, which serves more than 3,000 students, moved up from fourth place in the state and 653rd in the nation last year.

"It makes my heart proud because on a daily basis, I see what our teachers do; they work so hard," said Principal Jack Loyd. "This is the fruits of their labor."

LISA Academy North High School in Sherwood ranked fourth in Arkansas and 648th in the nation.

"We are very pleased that LISA Academy North High School has been recognized again by U.S. News as a top school, being ranked as No. 1 in Central Arkansas and No. 4 in the state," LISA Academy Superintendent Fatih Bogrek said. "This recognition represents the continued success that has been achieved through a strong college prep STEM curriculum and an engaging extracurricular program."

The rest of the state's top 10 in the 2022 rankings, with national ranking in parentheses, were:

• 5th -- Rogers New Technology High School (680)

• 6 -- Greenbrier High School (803)

• 7 -- Fayetteville High School East (978)

• 8 -- Bentonville West High School (1,086)

• 9 -- Bismarck High School (1,154)

• 10 -- Maumelle Charter High School, part of the Academics Plus Charter School system (1,299)

The U.S. News rankings include data on nearly 24,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia, including 292 high schools in Arkansas. The rankings encompass not only traditional high schools but also charter; magnet; and science, technology, engineering and math-focused schools, according to the publication's website.

The ranking methodology focuses on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates, according to a news release from U.S. News.

College readiness specifically measures participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams, and underserved student performance focuses on students who are Black, Hispanic or from low-income households. For the first time, science proficiency and performance was also incorporated into the methodology for states where science assessment data was available, according to the release.

U.S. News worked with RTI International, a global research firm, to implement the methodology. More information is available at www.usnews.com/education.


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