Graduation rate. This is the 2013-2014 public high school 4-year graduation rate. Data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Student-teacher ratio. The number of students enrolled per teacher in public K-12 schools as of 2013. Data comes from the National Education Association’s 2015 Rankings & Estimates report.
Funding per student. The public school revenue per student enrolled for the 2013 to 2014 school year. Data comes from the National Education Association’s 2015 Rankings & Estimates report.
Percentage of students taking an advanced placement (AP) class. The number of students enrolled in an AP class in 2015 as a percentage of 11^th and 12^th grade enrollment. Data comes from the College Board.
Percentage of students scoring a three or higher on AP exams in 2015. A three is generally the minimum score required to be eligible for college credit through an AP course. Data comes from the College Board.
Percentage of students taking the ACT or SAT. Since most states favor one or the other of these tests, we used whichever test had a higher testing rate. For example, in Connecticut, 89% of students take the SAT and 32% take the ACT. Thus we treated the SAT as the state’s primary test.
College attendance rate. The percentage of 2012 high school graduates who enrolled in a college or university within 12 months. College attendance data comes from the National Center for Education Statistics and high school graduation data comes from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.