JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Five schools in Northeast Tennessee received high rankings among the state’s high schools, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report list.

Below are the five highest-ranking high schools in News Channel 11’s coverage area in Northeast Tennessee, according to the report:

  • University School, Johnson City – No. 12 in Tennessee
  • Science Hill High School, Johnson City – No. 14 in Tennessee
  • Dobyns-Bennett High School, Kingsport – No. 20 in Tennessee
  • Greeneville High School, Greeneville – No. 22 in Tennessee
  • Tennessee High School, Bristol – No. 44 in Tennessee

The U.S. News & World Report bases its rankings on a school’s graduation rate, college readiness score, performance of underserved students and state assessments.

“We are very excited about our new ranking in the latest US News and World Report,” Science Hill principal Dr. Josh Carter said in a news release. “This ranking reflects the hard work and determination of our staff and students. We also could not attain this ranking without the encouragement and support of our city commission and board of education. We look forward to continuing our work as a school and achieving even more to climb the rankings in the coming years.” 

Carter said he’s proud of the amount of students taking AP courses. AP scores and the number of students taking an AP exam totals in the ranking.

“We offer basically the full gamut of AP courses, we offer over 30,” Carter said. “This past year, we gave a couple thousand AP tests, so a very high percentage of our students take an AP course and then also a very high percentage of our students pass an AP course.”

Carter said a few years ago, the Johnson City School Board decided to fund all AP exams. Now, they’re trying to increase participation in AP courses across all student groups.

“We do have a diverse population at Science Hill High School, and we make a lot of efforts to reach all the students that walk in the building,” Carter said. “And I think that’s one of the reasons we have, that we’re high up in the rankings.”

Carter said what sets them apart from other schools in the state and the country is their tremendous teaching staff.

“Our students, when they go into a classroom, they’re taught by a real professional who’s dedicated to the to their craft, works extremely hard, takes it very seriously,” Carter said.

Other local high schools were ranked among the top 100 by the report.

Just past the 50 mark was South Greene High School, which U.S. News & World Report ranked as 53rd among state high schools. Daniel Boone High School ranked 66th, Chuckey-Doak High School was 69th, David Crockett High School was 72nd, Cherokee High School was 83rd and Unicoi County High School ranked 95th.