Two Austin-Area Schools Among Nation's Best: Newsweek

AUSTIN, TX -- Two Austin schools were among the top schools in America, according to Newsweek magazine's annual compilation.

Westwood High School made the Top 50 list of best high schools in the country, ranking 48th in the annual compilation. The other high school ranked is Anderson High School, coming in the 256th slot.

Westwood High School is a school within the Round Rock ISD. The school is no stranger to the Newsweek list. In 2013, it was ranked 57th best high school in the nation, and the 8th best high school in Texas.

Westwood offers honors and Advanced Placement courses and also has a district level International Baccalaureate magnet program. The combination of AP and honors courses is focused on college readiness.

Anderson High School is a school within the Austin ISD. The school also is no stranger to accolades, having previously appeared on the Newsweek rankings, coming in slot number 327 in 2010. It also has been ranked among the nation's top 250 high schools by the Washington Post and one of the top ten schools in the state by Texas Monthly.

Anderson High School came into being in 1889, when a high school was added to Robertson Hill School (itself established in 1884), the city's first school for African-American children. It was located in the same building as the lower school, at San Marcos and 11th Streets.

In 1907 the school became independent and moved to Olive and Curve Streets. It was named for E. H. Anderson, who served as principal of Prairie View Normal Institute (now Prairie View A&M) from 1879 to 1885. In 1913 the high school moved again, to Pennsylvania Street (now the location of Kealing Middle School).

Related: Newsweek Releases List Of 2016 Best Public High Schools In America

Newsweek looked at six measurements and weighted them to achieve a “college readiness index” to achieve its rankings. Among the weighted measurements:

• Holding power: 10 percent
• Ratio of counselor/full-time equivalent to student enrollment: 10 percent
• Weighted SAT/ACT: 17.5 percent
• Weighted AP/IB/dual enrollment composite: 17.5 percent
• Graduation rate: 20 percent
• College enrollment rate: 25 percent