- U.S. News & World Report releases its annual rankings of U.S. public high schools.
- Lindon’s Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy was Utah’s top-ranked public high school.
- The digital media company examines each school’s college preparation efforts and test performances to determine its rankings.
Class discussions utilizing the Socratic method. Capstone projects. Faculty-judged “Last Lectures.”
That’s a list of academic activities you expect to find in law schools, graduate programs and college honors departments.
But such scholarly work is also found at Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy — a charter school in Lindon that’s ranked as Utah’s top public high school by U.S. News & World Report.
The annual report was released Tuesday.
The digital media company ranks nearly 18,000 public high schools across the country based on a variety of measurements — including school performance on state assessments, AP test participation and success, and how well its students are being prepared for college.
The nation’s top-ranked public high school: Tennessee’s Central Magnet School, which enjoys a 100% performance rating in everything from graduation rate, AP passage success and reading and science proficiency.
Maeser Prep, which was established in 2007 in a former Lindon bowling alley, notched a 97.78 on the report’s scorecard, securing top 10 Utah rankings in a variety of factors — including college readiness, state assessment proficiency and graduation rate.
“We’ve had a lot of our parents and students and community excited to see (the ranking) because we put a lot of effort into our education and into what we’re doing with the students,” Maeser Prep Director Katie Wirig told the Deseret News.
“It was really wonderful.”
Maeser’s executive director, Robyn Ellis, was one of the school’s founding parents in 2007 when the school had an initial enrollment of about 120. Almost two decades later, the student body has grown to just under 800.
Seeing Maeser Prep sitting atop the rankings, said Ellis, was a confirmation of the school’s mission, vision and pedagogy. And, she added, it’s a tribute to the hard work of Maeser students, teachers and parents.
“It’s humbling and validating to know that it is working,” said Ellis. “It resonates with our community — and what we do has tremendous value to education.”
What other Utah public high schools cracked the top 10?
Schools listed with Maeser Prep in the Report’s “Top 10 Utah public high schools” include both charter and traditional boundary public schools.
- Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy, Lindon
- Skyline High School, Millcreek
- Park City High School
- American Preparatory Academy — Draper No. 3
- Corner Canyon High School, Draper
- Academy for Math Engineering and Science (Ames), Salt Lake City
- Itineris Early College High School, West Jordan
- InTech Collegiate High School, Logan
- Timpview High School, Provo
- Crimson Cliffs High School, Washington, Washington County
Meanwhile, several high schools landed just outside the top 10 rankings — including Beehive Science and Technology Academy, Bingham High School, Salt Lake Center for Science Education and Lone Peak High School.
So how does U.S. News & World Report rank U.S. high schools?
Thirty percent of a school’s ranking is determined by “college readiness,” which measures the proportion of 12th graders who took and earned a qualifying score on at least one AP or IB exam. Earning a qualifying score, according to the report, is worth three times more than just taking the exam.
A sizable chunk of a school’s overall ranking is also determined by its students’ performance on state assessments, including “how aggregated scores on state assessments compare with U.S. News’ expectations given the proportions of students who are Black, Hispanic and from low-income households.”
Lesser ranking factors include the scores on state assessments aggregated just among students who are Black, Hispanic and from low-income households.
Also included are graduation rates and “college curriculum breadth” — the proportion of a school’s 12th graders who took and earned a qualifying score on AP and IB exams in multiple areas.
Building resilience through rigor and self-confidence
In each class and extracurricular activity, Maeser Prep’s teachers and administrators aim to find that sweet spot on how much to academically push a student.
“We really value curiosity and rigor together,” said Wirig. “It’s a testament that our students — and students in general from this generation — are capable of so much educationally.”
Students thrive when they feel a bit of push and pressure, added Wirig.
“And when they do, they succeed and they feel good about themselves. They are launching into wonderful careers — whether it’s in education or just being great citizens in their communities.”
Maeser Prep’s enrollment includes students from several Utah counties and different cultural backgrounds. “That’s great because one of our big things in our classrooms is Socratic discussion where we encourage the kids to think critically and then to share that,” said Wirig.
“Socratic discussion grows from diverse perspectives — and we want all voices represented to help inform our decisions.”
From the moment Maeser Prep students begin seventh grade, they are building foundations of grammar, logic and rhetoric that will serve them well during their years at Maeser and beyond, said Ellis.
“We have extensive graduation requirements,” added Ellis. “We require 28 credits for our students to graduate. They take history, English and math every year at Maeser.”
Elective courses are fairly limited.
And every student, regardless of academic trajectories, is treated like an honor student, noted Wirig.
Teachers at Maeser are instructed to ask a lot from their students, even while they are building their confidence.
And from rigor, said Wirig, comes resilience.
Ellis said that the school’s mission to challenge students to “learn continually, think critically and communicate effectively” is inspired by the institution’s namesake, celebrated Utah educator Karl G. Maeser.
“One of the things Karl Maeser said,” Ellis added, “was ‘Be yourself, but always your better self.’”
While Ellis is proud of the school’s efforts that have resulted in recognition and high rankings, she emphasized that Maeser Prep’s teaching approach is duplicatable in high school classrooms across Utah.
Experiencing ‘Winterim,’ while serving others
Beyond the rigor of everyday academics, Maeser Prep offers students distinct educational and social opportunities.
In January, the school hosts Winterim — an immersive, three-week learning seminar anchored in hands-on experiences and projects.
Last year’s Winterim offerings included Board Game Design, Breadmaking, Japanese Language and Culture, Mock Trial, and TED Talks.
Meanwhile, every Maeser senior is required to complete a capstone project requiring them to apply skills they have learned in class to address a real-life community need or cause.
The senior capstone projects, said Wirig, offer each student “a wonderful service that they do for each other and for the people around them.”