The Best High Schools for STEM ranking is based on rigorous analysis of academic and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with test scores, college data, and ratings collected from millions of Niche users. Learn where our data comes from.
| Factor | Description | Source | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Colleges STEM Score | Average score of colleges that students are most interested in or go on to attend, based on Niche Best for STEM Majors college rankings. | Self-reported by Niche users | 40.0% |
| Parent/Student Surveys on STEM | Parent and student opinions about the quality of the STEM-related academics and resources at the school they currently or recently attend(ed). | Self-reported by Niche users | 15.0% |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | Ratio of students to full-time teachers. Please note: Student-teacher ratio is not a representation of average class size. | National Center for Education Statistics* | 15.0% |
| Math Proficiency | Percentage of students at or above math proficiency level on state assessments. For comparison across states, percentiles within each state were calculated, then compared. | U.S. Department of Education | 10.5% |
| STEM Majors | Percentage of students interested in or studying a STEM-focused major, as reported by Niche users from this school. | Self-reported by Niche users | 10.5% |
| Advanced Math Enrollment | Measure of students enrolled in at least one advanced math class, including analytic geometry, precalculus, calculus, statistics, and trigonometry. | Civil Rights Data Collection | 3.0% |
| AP Math Enrollment | Measure of students enrolled in at least one AP math class. | Civil Rights Data Collection | 3.0% |
| AP Science Enrollment | Measure of students enrolled in at least one AP science class. | Civil Rights Data Collection | 3.0% |
* Since private schools are not required to report to the Department of Education, most data sourced from the Department of Education can also be updated directly by private schools via their Niche Partner Portal. If you work for a private school and would like to update your data, please claim your school.
Statistics obtained from the U.S. Department of Education represent the most recent data available, as self-reported by the schools.
The same methodology is used to produce the Overall Niche Grade for each ranked school as well as additional schools.
For more details about how we calculate our rankings, click here.