Cinnaminson Superintendent Skeptical Of U.S. News Metro Rankings

CINNAMINSON, NJ — Being No. 75 has a very different take than being No. 6 in South Jersey and No. 2 in Burlington County. That’s how Cinnaminson Superintendent of Schools Stephen Cappello viewed the latest U.S. News school rankings that came out on Wednesday, June 12.

Cinnaminson High School was ranked No. 75 in the Philadelphia Metro Area in those rankings.
Separate from the publication's annual ranking of the best high schools in the country — published in April — the best high schools by metro area rankings released on Wednesday analyze how schools compare to each other in the same region.

“We are pleased by the documented outcomes that Cinnaminson High School has produced,” Cappello said of the rankings. “However, most educators take a somewhat skeptical approach to the one-size-fits-all metrics that are used to compare schools across state lines that may have a different funding source, mission, charter, community make-up, etc. Being recognized as the 6th highest ranked South Jersey school in the Philadelphia Metro area is certainly an honor, but it does not distract us from our core mission of meeting the needs of our education community and producing well-rounded students who are prepared for college and careers.”

The Philadelphia metro statistical area includes parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland. A closer look at the rankings for South Jersey specifically illustrates Cappello's point.

Cinnaminson is only ranked behind Haddonfield (No. 13), Cherry Hill East (No. 38), Moorestown (No. 42), Haddon Township (No. 54) and Clearview (No. 70) among schools in the region. Moorestown is the only Burlington County school ranked ahead of Cinnaminson.

"We've heard from students, parents and school officials that they're interested in seeing how their school compares with others in the community," Robert Morse, chief data strategist at U.S. News, said in a news release. "With these new rankings, residents in more than 900 metro areas nationwide can see which local schools are succeeding at educating and graduating their students."

U.S. News says it used the same methodology to compile the metro-area rankings as it did for the national rankings. Metros areas were matched to their corresponding core-based statistical areas as defined by the government. The U.S. Census Bureau says metro areas and micropolitan areas (which have a population of between 10,000 and 50,000) are collectively referred to as core-based statistical areas.

In the rankings released in April, Cinnaminson High School was ranked No. 141 in the state and No. 3,749 nationally.

Read more here: Here’s How Cinnaminson High School Was Ranked By U.S. News