“We are so excited!” Jacksonville-area high schools rank on list of best U.S. high schools

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Parents—helping your child choose where they are going to go to high school is just one of the many big decisions you will help your children make.

Ahead of School Choice opening in Duval County, on the first day of the new year—U.S News & World Report has released their latest best high school rankings of 2021.

Twenty-eight Duval County Public High Schools ranked on the national list.

Action News Jax visited one of them, Samuel W. Wolfson School for Advanced Studies and Leadership, to learn what it means to staff and students to be a part of an institution considered to be one of the best.

“Some of my favorite classes...it’s very, very hard to answer because I have a lot of them!” exclaimed Charlotte Caccam.

Caccam credits the amazing teachers at Samuel Wolfson High School for making it such a hard question to answer.

“I’m honestly trying to be as well-rounded as a student as I can and Wolfson has definitely facilitated it,” Caccam told Action News Jax Courtney Cole.

As a member of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program and the swimming and dive team, Caccam said she feels very lucky to continue here education at the school.

With the release of the 2021 Best High School Rankings by U.S. News & World Report, pretty soon other students will be vying for a spot a Wolfson, too.

“Our students are so involved in giving to the community and working on making their school the best that they can make it. It is their school, and it is really an award for them,” said Brandi Benga.

Benga is the IB and AP Coordinator Wolfson. She told Action News Jax it feels good for the school to be recognized for all of their hard work.

“School choice is coming up in January, and it’s a really great spotlight on our school right before the school choice so the kids can really see all of the wonderful things that we have to offer,” Benga said.

27 other schools made the national ranking.

But you can also check out where some of our local schools ranked in the state and county as well.

U.S. News and World Report said schools are ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college...something Caccam is already thinking about.

“I’d like to go to medical school after college. But after that, I’d really like to start investing in my community and getting to know people before helping out on a larger scale, maybe through public policy later in life,” said Caccam.

For more information on School Choice in Duval County click here.

The School Choice application is open Jan. 1, 2022- Feb. 28, 2022.

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