Bridgeport High School earns high marks in nationwide survey

BRIDGEPORT – A ranking of high schools across the country compiled annually by U.S. News & World Report last month placed Bridgeport High School at No. 18 among 347 ranked in the state and No. 1,016 among 17,843 ranked in the nation. The small Douglas County school with more than 90 percent of its student enrollment from low-income households came in just behind 17th ranked Orcas Island and ahead of No. 19 Vashon Island.

Bridgeport was the only school in Douglas or Okanogan counties to place among the state’s top 100 schools. In The Quad coverage area, Pateros was ranked at No. 225, and Brewster was No. 242. Mansfield showed no data. Other Okanogan County school state rankings include:

No. 111 Liberty Bell.

No. 127 Tonasket

No. 246 Oroville

No. 255 Washington Virtual Academy

No. 262-347 Omak, Okanogan

“In coordination with North Carolina-based RTI International, a global nonprofit social science research firm, U.S. News ranked approximately 17,840 public high schools out of the nearly 24,000 reviewed,” said the website usnews.com. “This is the count of public high schools that had a 12th grade enrollment of 15 students or greater, or otherwise had sufficient enrollment in other high school grades during the 2019-2020 school year to be analyzed.”

The ranking methodology employed six indicators of school quality. According to usnews.com those indicators are:

• College Readiness 30%

The proportions of 12th graders who took and earned a qualifying score on at least one AP (Advanced Placement) or IB (International Baccalaureate) 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.