Marblehead Ranks High On 2 Lists Of Top MA Schools

MARBLEHEAD, MA — Marblehead High School was ranked among the top public high schools on the North Shore — and among the top 20 percent of the state — in a pair of recent annual rankings.

Niche.com's rankings released last week put Marblehead at No. 35 among Massachusetts public high schools, while the U.S. News and World Report's annual rankings released on Tuesday had Marblehead at 56th out of 339 public high schools.

"All of the rankings of high schools and districts are always interesting, as they each use different data points," Marblehead School Committee Chair Sarah Gold told Patch. "We are always pleased with our ranking, and even more so, hopeful to continue to move upwards."

Niche's 2022 rankings factored in academic and student life data from thousands of schools across the country. The most important factor was academics, but Niche also looked at culture and diversity, teachers, clubs and activities, sports and more.

The U.S. News and World Report rankings are intended to show how well the nation's public schools serve all students, regardless of achievement level, by teaching them basic skills and preparing them for college-level work.

The high marks come as the Marblehead School Committee prepares a push for a $3 million tax override that officials said will help make up for years of underfunding, provide critical updates and allow the district to fulfill its mission to provide students and families with an "exemplary education."

"We have amazing administrators, teachers and staff who all contribute to our standings," Gold said. "Providing students with the exemplary education that is expected in Marblehead will continue to support the district's high marks across various ranking organizations and hopefully continue to allow for growth in our standing."

Marblehead annual town meeting is May 2.

Manchester-Essex was ranked as the top North Shore public or charter high school at No. 23 in U.S. World Report, with Lynnfield High at No. 26, Hamilton-Wenham at No. 38 and KIPP Academy of Lynn at No. 44.

Behind Marblehead High was Salem Academy Charter (74), Swampscott High (87), Beverly High (154), Danvers High (193), Essex North Shore (217), Peabody Veterans (259) and Salem High (269).

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)