Parkville, Loch Raven Among Best High Schools In State, Nation

Two area high schools have been listed among the best in the state and the country by a national publication.

Parkville High School and Loch Raven High School each made the recently published US News & World Report list of the Best High Schools in the US, according to a news release from Baltimore County Public Schools.

Loch Raven ranked 42nd and Parkville ranked 56th out of 64 Maryland public high schools that made the list.

A total of 21,035 schools in 49 states were part of the assessment and of the 4,825 that earned a gold, silver or bronze medal, Parkville ranked 1,993 while Loch Raven ranked 1,350, the release states.

Both Parkville, which was not on the list in 2012, and Loch Raven earned silver medal status.

"A 'Silver Medal' means a school is high performing but has a lower degree of student college readiness," the release states.

In devising the rankings US News & World Report analyzed analyzed reading and math assessment scores, demographic information, college-readiness measurements such as AP tests, and other factors, the release states.

"Whether we see them included on a national list or experience it first-hand, there can be no doubt Baltimore County has many of the best high schools anywhere. Congratulations to all the schools, staffs and students who earned this latest honor," said Superintendent Dr. S. Dallas Dance in the release. "Our expectation is that all our high schools be considered among the best in the nation. Until that happens we will not be satisfied and still have much work to do."

Baltimore County is home to 27 public high schools, 10 of which were ranked this year.

Other schools earning honors from US News & World Report included Dulaney High School, Eastern Technical High School, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, Hereford High School, Owings Mills High School, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts, Towson High School and Western School of Technology and Environmental Science .