The U.S. News Best Schools rankings for 2025-26 have come out this fall with rankings including data on more than 24,000 public high schools around the country. Here in Michigan there are 1,136 public high schools looked at. Locally, three made Michigan’s Top 50.
Saline High School comes in at #20 in the state of Michigan while Chelsea High School is #27 and Dexter High School is #37 in the state.
Here’s what goes into these rankings:
- College Readiness 30%
The proportions of 12th graders who took and earned a qualifying score on at least one AP or IB exam. Earning a qualifying score is worth three times more than just taking.
- State Assessment Proficiency 20%
Aggregated scores on state assessments that students may be required to pass for graduation.
- State Assessment Performance 20%
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.
- Underserved Student Performance 10%
Scores on state assessments aggregated just among students who are Black, Hispanic and from low-income households. These scores are compared with what is typical in the state for non-underserved students, with parity or higher being the goal.
- College Curriculum Breadth 10%
The proportions of 12th graders who took and earned a qualifying score on AP and IB exams in multiple areas. More exams are valued more than fewer exams up to a maximum of four. Earning a qualifying score on an exam is worth three times more than taking.
- Graduation Rate 10%
The proportion of entering ninth graders who graduated four academic years later…