Bogus or Believable? U.S. News Ranks High Schools

U.S. News & World Report released Tuesday what quickly was called "one of the most extensive analyses and national rankings of U.S. public high schools ever published."

See earlier Eureka-Wildwood Patch News Flash: 

The exclusive online list, Best High Schools, includes school-specific data on enrollment, location, ethnicity, school type, state assessment proficiency tests, and Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests. "Using some of this data and a comprehensive methodology, the schools were given a college readiness index score and then numerically ranked and awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals," according to a PR Newswire release about the new list.

Editor's Question:  Is the key element here that they said "some" of the data was used? Why wasn't all data used for all the high schools analyzed?

Eureka-Wildwood Patch research revealed the following. NOTE:  The data in this grid is taken directly from the U.S. NEWS ONLINE REPORTS and was not created by Patch. Compare for yourself and please share any comments about why you think only one of high schools made the top-ranked list for Missouri. (While U.S. News listed student body information and test ratings for most U.S. schools, only Marquette High in the Chesterfield quadrant made its list of best Missouri schools.)

Marquette High College Readiness Index:  43.8

College Readiness Index:  47.5

College Readiness Index:  42.1

Rockwood Summit High College Readiness Index:  41.5

The report stated that Rockwood School District's average College Readiness Index is 43.7.