Burke Area Schools Among Top 15 High Schools in Virginia, U.S. News & World Report Says

Fairfax County is home to the top five public high schools in Virginia, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s 2013 Best High Schools rankings released Tuesday.

U.S. News generated the rankings through a partnership with American Institutes for Research, looking at students’ performance on standardized tests and how successfully schools educated black, Hispanic and low-income students.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was once again ranked the top school in Virginia. It was ranked No. 4 of all schools nationally, down from its No. 2 post in 2012.

Replacing TJ at No. 2 was BASIS Tucson in Arizona, which jumped from sixth in 2012.

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Where Burke Area Schools Rank

Lake Braddock Secondary School is ranked 7th in Virginia and 197 nationally with West Springfield High School not far behind, ranking 10th in the state and 207 nationally. Robinson Secondary School ranked 14th in Virginia and 288 nationally.

According to the list, the School for the Talented and Gifted in the Dallas Independent School District held onto the title of top high school in the nation.

Click here for more information on U.S. News and World Report’s 2013 Best High School rankings.

U.S. News' list is just one of the many Fairfax schools make each year. Earlier this month, a number of area schools earned a national ranking on the Washington Post Challenge Index.

Newsweek also releases a list of best high schools each year, usually in May.

How much stock do you put into national rankings? How do you measure a good school? Tell us in the comments.