Local schools among best in the nation

CARMEL, Ind, (WISH) - Three central Indiana high schools are being recognized for being among the Best High Schools in America: Carmel, Fishers and the Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities in Muncie.

Each year, Newsweek Magazine requests data from over 1,000 high performing high schools around the country. A panel then ranks the schools based on these six components:

• Graduation rate (25%)
• College matriculation rate (25%)
• AP tests taken per graduate (25%)
• Average SAT/ACT scores (10%)
• Average AP/IB/AICE scores (10%)
• AP courses offered (5%).

The schools are then whittled down to the Top 500 – a prestigious list that demands not only bragging rights, but respect.

Signature School in Evansville ranked 7th on the list. The highest ranking central Indiana school was The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities in Muncie, which came in at 153.

Carmel High School ranked 252. Fishers High School ranked 467.

“I think its kind of an anomaly” says Carmel High School Assistant Principal Ronda Eshleman. “Usually the largest schools in a state are not the highest performing and we're very proud of the fact that we're one of the largest public schools and we're still one of the highest performing.”

At Carmel High, 96 percent of the one-thousand-and-some graduates go to a 2-year or 4-year college every year. The school offers 29 Advanced Placement courses across the curriculum and of the students who take the AP exams, 44% score high enough to receive college credit. In the state of Indiana, that percentage is only 12%.

Rising Carmel Senior, Jimmy Herman, is a starting Safety on the Football team. He’s already being recruited by two Big 10 Schools. Yet, he’s even more accomplished in the classroom.

“I got a 2050 on my SAT and a 31 on my ACT… and I'm in the Top 3% of my class,” Herman says.

When asked why he thought Carmel made the list of the Top 500 Best Schools In America, Jimmy said “all the teachers and the administrators care about the students and it just is a good place. It’s comfortable.”

24-Hour News 8 reached out to Fishers administration, but because it is summer time, the school’s leadership was unavailable.