Sixteen Baltimore County high schools earned rankings on the U.S. News & World Report's Best High Schools list for 2015. In 2014 only five schools were ranked, according to a press release issued May 12 by Baltimore County Public Schools.
Dulaney, Hereford, Towson and Eastern Technical high schools received gold medal status. Silver medalists are Catonsville, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, Loch Raven, Owings Mills, Perry Hall and Western School of Technology and Environmental Science, the release said.
Hereford High School ranked 12th in the state, the highest among Baltimore County Public Schools, according to the U.S. News & World Report's website. Dulaney and Towson also ranked in the top 20 Maryland high schools. Dulaney is 16th and Towson ranked 18th on the list. The fourth gold medalist, Catonsville, is ranked 42nd.
Gold medal designation indicates a ranking in the top 500 schools in the survey, based on a high degree of student college readiness.
This year, Maryland led all states in the annual survey, with 28.9 percent of eligible schools earning gold or silver medals. The state also had the highest percentage of gold medal schools, with 8.6 percent.
Rankings came data about 19,753 public schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
"Much hard work and team support goes into making our high schools among the best in the nation year in and year out; these rankings recognize that work," said BCPS Superintendent Dallas Dance. "There is always more work to do, of course, and we are committed as a school system and county to ensuring excellence at all of our high schools. But today, we celebrate the success that resulted in this latest honor for our students and schools."
For the full U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools list go to http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools.