Park City High School is the fifth-best high school in the state, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of high school rankings. The school is also one of two public schools in the top five.
The ranking is based on six factors including college readiness, graduation rates and proficiency in core subjects. College readiness is weighted most heavily, making up 30% of a school’s score. U.S. News determines college readiness scores based on the percentage of 12th graders in the 2021-2022 academic year who took least one Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate exam and the percentage of students who earned a qualifying score on an AP or IB exam.
According to U.S. News, 71% of Park City High School seniors took at least one AP exam and 57% passed at least one AP Exam. Principal Roger Arbabi said the school has concurrent enrollment classes as well, which provide college credit.
“One of the things that really sets Park City apart is that even our underrepresented student groups, take AP tests and concurrent enrollment classes at basically the same level that all of our other students take these classes,” he said. “We've created a really great culture here for academic rigor for all of our students.”
Underserved student performance is 10% of a school’s score. Arbabi said about 87% of the school's Latino students take CE or AP classes. A program called Dream Big has also helped students prepare for and pass AP classes and tests.
Graduation rate makes up 10% of a school’s score. In 2022, Park City had a 94% graduation rate compared to an average state graduation rate of 88%.
The U.S. News ranking also considers state standardized tests and assessments measuring proficiency and performance in math, reading and science. Arbabi said the school wants to make sure all students are prepared to move on to high-rigor classes, but sometimes need help filling education gaps. So, there’s a class called Miner Advantage to help students work on executive functioning skills.
“We actually have a literacy teacher and a math teacher in there that help the students be successful, or, you know, close some of those gaps that they have in reading and math so that they can be successful later on," Arbabi said. "We're seeing some great results from that program too.”
Arbabi said he’s proud Park City High School ranks number 717 in the country, which is in the top 5% of all high schools nationwide.
Park City High School ranked fourth best high school in Utah last year.
