Business Week just announced its first ever high school rankings today. Five high schools in Maryland excelled in different categories. The state-by-state listings are interesting because they take into account, to some degree, parent opinions. River Hill High School in Howard County received the ranking of best overall high school in Maryland. Digital Harbor High School in Baltimore was named the best school with the highest number of low-income students. Liberty High School in Sykesville was given the award for the most improved school. Two awards were based on the parents' choice for best public and private schools. Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville received the highest parent ranking for a public school and Glenelg Country School in Ellicott City, for a private school. There is a caveat for the parent ratings, however. GreatSchools, an organization that rates schools and provides an online community for parents, determined parent choice by looking at how many parents had written positive reveiws of their kids' schools on the organization's Web site. In some cases, the organization points out, no parents had reviewed their school.
