Parsippany Slides in NJ Public High School Rankings

Surrounded by top-tier institutions in neighboring towns, Parsippany Hills and Parsippany High schools didn’t fare well in this year’s New Jersey Monthly magazine’s ranking of top public schools in the state.

According to the magazine’s bi-annual list, which can be seen here, Parsippany Hills High School dropped from number 23 overall to number 58; and Parsippany High School dropped from 86 to 105 out of a possible 339 schools.

The rankings are based on scores compiled for the DOE for the 2012-13 school year. Scoring factors include student-to-teacher ratio; student results on the SAT and HSPA tests; scores on AP or IB tests; and graduation rates.

Five Morris County schools made the list’s top 20, including Chatham at number 1; West Morris Mendham at number 4; West Morris Central at number 11; Mountain Lakes at number 19; and Kinnelon at number 20.

Patch asked Parsippany readers recently if they felt either of the local high schools deserved to be considered among the top tier of New Jersey’s pubic high schools. Fifty-eight people, or 52-percent of the vote, said no. Thirty-one readers, or 28-percent of the vote, said yes. Seventeen other voters said just Parsippany Hills should be in the top tier, and six readers said just Parsippany High should be in the top tier. See that poll here.

Are the New Jersey Monthly magazine rankings accurate? Is this where either of the local high schools should be?