Press Release

GEORGE WASHINGTON AND EAST MAKE NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE LIST OF NATION'S TOP HIGH SCHOOLS

Two Denver high schools - George Washington and East - have been named among the nation's top high schools by Newsweek Magazine. George Washington, ranked 50th, received the highest ranking of any Colorado high school. East, ranked 84th, received the second highest Colorado ranking.

In all, 450 high schools were ranked. Newsweek contributor Jay Mathews conducted his survey by measuring how many students in each of the nation's 22,500 public high schools take advanced placement and international baccalaureate tests, which require that schools offer rigorous courses. Tough classes, not test scores or grades or class rank, are predictors of success in college, Mathews reports in the March 13 issue of Newsweek.

Other Colorado high schools and their rank are: Cherry Creek, 216th; Smoky Hill, 267th; Cheyenne Mountain, 369th; Palmer, 388th; and Heritage, 395th.