Lakeville South High School Drops Off U.S. News and World Report's Rankings

The annual ranking of public high schools was announced Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report, and Lakeville South High School has dropped off the magazine's list. In 2012, the high school was named the 12th best public high school in Minnesota—and the 607th best in the country—but this year it didn't make the cut as one of the 46 ranked schools. 

More than 21,000 public high schools throughout the country were reviewed. Criteria include student-teacher ratio, a college readiness index (determined by percentage of students taking and passing Advanced Placement and/or International Baccalaureate exams), and students' proficiency on standardized tests.

A total of 50 percent of Lakeville South students took one or more Advanced Placement (AP) exams and 83 percent received a passing grade in the 2010-2011 school year, the data used to determine the 2013 rankings.

Mahtomedi Senior High School earned the spot as the state's top-ranking public high school in the survey. The top-ranked school nationally was School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas, TX.

The methodology used in the rankings is a multi-step process, where information from nearly 22,000 public high schools throughout the country is reviewed to determine national and statewide rankings. The top 500 schools nationwide earn gold medal status.

Lakeville North High School and the Lakeville Area Learning Center were unranked.

Nearby schools districts that were included in this year's top Minnesota rankings include: Edina High School (#2), Minnetonka High School (#6), Eagan High School (#7) and Apple Valley High School (#31).

You can see Lakeville South's full U.S. News profile here.