INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Incline High ranked No. 14 out of more than 75 schools statewide and No. 2,114 out of almost 18,000 public high schools nationally, according to a recent best high school rankings report by U.S. News and World Report. 

The Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology (AACT) ranked No. 3, Galena High School ranked No. 8 and Reno High School earned the No. 12 slot in Nevada. 

“I am incredibly proud of our school community for being ranked 14th in the state by U.S. News and World Report,” said Principal Tierney Cahill. “As a five-star school, this recognition highlights the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and families, especially the progress we’ve made in key areas like supporting our multilingual learners in achieving language proficiency.” 

---

---

Cahill said she’s never satisfied. 

“We believe there’s always more we can do,” Cahill said. “We will continue to be responsive to the needs of our students, expanding course offerings, increasing access to dual-credit college and AP courses, and holding high expectations for all.” 

---

---

She highlighted Incline High’s new Personalized Learning Academy, which allows students to take online college courses and secure internships. Cahill said it is an example of how the school is preparing students for the future they choose. 

Incline High also ranked No. 6 in Reno metro area high schools and Washoe County School District high schools. 

“This study ranks schools on their performance on state assessments and how well we prepare students for college,” said WCSD Superintendent Joe Ernst. “I applaud the efforts of our staff members, students, and families who are providing the support and resources our students need to succeed. I think we all should be proud of the results of the study.” 

Ernst said he looks forward to continued improvement in academic outcomes across Washoe County School District. 

Calculations information 

U.S. News and World Report, in collaboration with Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International, released its 2024 Best High Schools rankings, evaluating nearly 17,660 public high schools nationwide. The rankings highlight institutions that excel in educating students from diverse backgrounds, offering challenging coursework, and achieving outstanding outcomes in state assessments, college-level exams, and graduation rates. Schools were scored on a 0-100 scale based on six quality indicators, with their overall scores reflecting national percentile performance. Each school’s profile includes detailed performance data and comparative statistics. Private schools were excluded due to data limitations, but charter, and magnet schools were included in the rankings. 

Six ranking indicators 

Here are the six ranking indicators and their weights. 

· College readiness (30%) 

The College Readiness Index (CRI) measures 12th graders’ participation and performance in Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. The index combines a participation rate (25% weight) with a quality-adjusted participation rate (75% weight), reflecting students who took and earned qualifying scores on these exams. A perfect CRI score of 100 indicates all seniors took and passed at least one AP or IB exam. While schools without AP or IB programs scored zero on this indicator, adjustments were made to prevent significant disadvantages in overall rankings. The index blends AP and IB results when both are present, favoring the program with higher participation. 

· College curriculum breadth (10%) 

The College Curriculum Breadth Index (CCBI) assesses the depth and breadth of students’ engagement with college-level coursework. It measures the percentage of 12th graders who took and earned qualifying scores on multiple AP or IB exams across various content areas. The index gives full credit for performance in four or more areas, with partial credit for two or three. The CCBI score is calculated by weighting exam participation (25%) and qualifying scores (75%) across multiple subjects, with a logarithmic adjustment for outliers. Content areas include English, math, sciences, languages, social sciences, arts, and specialized programs like AP Capstone or IB’s extended essay. Schools score highest when a large proportion of seniors excel in a diverse range of AP or IB subjects, demonstrating a comprehensive college-preparatory curriculum. 

· State assessment proficiency (20%) 

In U.S. News and World Report’s high school rankings, the math, science, and reading proficiency indicator measures student performance on state-mandated standardized tests. These assessments evaluate core subject learning and overall school effectiveness. The indicator calculates a simple score based on student performance, with schools earning higher scores for better results. To ensure fair comparisons across states, each school’s performance is first compared within its state and then analyzed relative to schools in other states. This approach allows for meaningful national comparisons despite variations in state assessment systems. For most states, the data used in the 2024 rankings comes from the 2021-2022 academic year, providing a recent snapshot of student achievement in core academic areas. 

· State assessment performance (20%) 

The state assessment performance evaluates schools based on how their students perform on state math, reading, and science tests compared to expected results. These expectations are modeled using demographic data, acknowledging the strong statistical correlation between a school’s proportion of Black, Hispanic, and low-income students and its assessment outcomes across all 50 states. Schools excel in this metric when their actual test scores significantly surpass the predicted scores based on their demographic profile. This approach aims to identify schools that are effectively educating students from diverse backgrounds, potentially overcoming socioeconomic challenges. For most states, the 2024 rankings use data from the 2021-2022 academic year, providing insight into recent educational performance relative to demographic expectations. 

· Underserved student performance (10%) 

The rankings include an indicator focusing on the performance of underserved students (specifically Black, Hispanic, and low-income students) on state assessments. This measure compares these students’ scores to the average scores of non-underserved students within the same state. Schools score highest when their underserved students perform above the 50th percentile nationally in this comparison. Lower scores are assigned as the gap widens between underserved students’ performance and the state median for non-underserved students. This metric, primarily based on 2021-2022 data (with some exceptions using earlier data), aims to highlight schools effectively supporting educational equity and closing achievement gaps for historically underserved populations. 

· Graduation rate (10%) 

The graduation rate measures the percentage of students who entered ninth grade in the 2018-2019 academic year and graduated four years later in 2022. 

Incline High’s scorecard 

Incline High’s scorecard was 88.03 out of 100, according to the report. 

· 68% of students took at least one AP exam 

· 56% of students passed at least one AP exam 

· 38% of students have mathematics proficiency 

· 52% of students have reading proficiency 

· 17% of students have science proficiency 

· 93% graduation rate 

Incline High stats 

Quick stats show Incline High has 325 students with a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. 

During the reporting timeframe, there were 73 9th graders, 86 10th graders, 79 11th graders, and 87 12th graders. 

The student diversity shows 48.6% minority enrollment. Incline High is 51.4% white, 43.4% Hispanic, 3.7% two or more races, 1.2% Asian, and 0.3% black. 

Incline High students are 53% female and 47% male of which 26% are economically disadvantaged. 

Subject proficiency 

Incline High has 38% mathematics proficiency, faring better than the district with 23% proficiency and the state with 20%, according to the report. 

Incline High also did better in reading proficiency scoring 52%. The district earned 49% and the state 40% proficiency. 

The school lagged in science proficiency with 17% compared to 28% for the district and 20% for the state.

Principal’s response

Cahill said public schools have a different enrollment method than charter and magnet schools.

“We take every single child that walks through our door,” Cahill said.

Even so, the Incline schools are the first and only STEM-designated K-12 system in Nevada.

As a graduation requirement from Incline High, every student takes the ACT (American College Testing) regardless if they want to go to college or not.

“Not every student is going to take it seriously,” Cahill said in regards to the statistics. “… They don’t care. And they see it as a requirement.”

As for AP classes, Cahill said that statistic is going to increase.

“Over the past two years, we’ve assured that almost a 100% of our kids are taking at least one AP class to be exposed to college curriculum,” Cahill said. “And to diffuse the fear of taking rigorous classes because they’re capable. But that is lagging data.”

Cahill said Incline High exited students from the English Language Development program at a high rate.

“I don’t know that anybody in the district beat us,” Cahill said. “That’s why we’re a five-star school. Because our multilingual learners are becoming proficient in English and reading, writing, speaking and listening. That’s really important.”

Cahill said Incline High’s stats will continue to rise in part because this data is old.

“Incline will continue to make the community proud,” Cahill said. “It’s a great school. It’s hard to beat what we’re able to offer … There’s just some really spectacular opportunities here. It’s because the community that we live in helps provide that. We’re very fortunate.”

For more information, go to https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/us-news-ranks-best-high-schools