Four Arlington ISD high schools – Arlington Collegiate High School, Arlington College and Career High School, Martin High and Seguin High – have muscled their way onto U.S. News & World Report’s Best High Schools list, the district announced Sunday. The nod puts both the district’s early-college programs and its traditional campuses on the national radar and spotlights steady gains in college readiness across Arlington ISD. District leaders say the recognition reflects years of work on rigorous coursework and postsecondary prep, not a one-year fluke.
Arlington ISD rolled out the news in a district release, framing the rankings as a win for students, staff, and families. The City of Arlington amplified the bragging rights on social media, listing the four campuses and linking back to the district statement in a celebratory Facebook post from the city.
Early College Programs Stand Out
District officials singled out Arlington Collegiate and Arlington College and Career for their early-college performance, noting that both campuses let students bank college credits while finishing high school. In the district release, Arlington Collegiate principal Jeff Krieger said he was “excited for this honor,” while Martin High principal Marlene Roddy praised staff and students for sustaining progress, according to Arlington ISD. The message from campus leaders: this is what long hours, tough classes and a lot of buy-in are supposed to look like.
How The Rankings Are Decided
U.S. News ranks high schools using a mix of factors that go well beyond test scores, including college readiness, state assessment performance, curriculum breadth, outcomes for underserved students, and graduation rates. Local coverage noted that the publication evaluated more than 24,000 public high schools across the country and that campuses landing in the top 40% earn the U.S. News award badge. A local recap summarized the methodology and reaction.
Early College Impact In Arlington
The city and district pointed out that while early-college programs statewide see roughly 40% of students graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate degree, more than 90% of Arlington ISD early-college students walk away with both credentials. The district’s Board of Trustees formally honored the four recognized campuses at its Nov. 20 meeting, according to the City of Arlington…