Bob Jones High School in Madison ranked 804th on the list.

BY ANNA DURRETT / REPORTER

Three high schools in North Alabama made Newsweek magazine’s 2012 list of the best 1000 public high schools in the U.S.

Bob Jones High School in Madison ranked 804th on the list. New Century Technology High School and Grissom High School in Huntsville ranked 535th and 623th respectively.

“I’m not surprised,” said Bob Jones college and career advisor Shelia Roberts. Bob Jones has been on the list before. “Our students continue to grow and excel at academics,” Roberts said.

“It’s a pleasure to work with these talented young people,” Roberts said. “They continue to amaze me.” Roberts credited the success of Bob Jones students to their academically supportive parents. “This community and the talent the students have is a tribute to their upbringing.”

In addition to the three North Alabama schools, nine other Alabama schools made the list. Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School in Birmingham received the highest ranking in the state, coming in at sixth in the nation.

The other Alabama schools on the list are Mountain Brook, 144th; Alabama School of Mathematics and Science, 182nd; Oak Mountain, 343rd; Vestavia Hills, 531st; Spain Park, 667th; Auburn, 735th; Hoover, 755th; and Homewood, 795th.

Components used in the rankings include graduation rates; college matriculation rates; the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests taken per student and the average scores; the average SAT and ACT scores; and the number of AP courses offered per student.

The 2012 list was composed from data collected about the 2010-2011 school year.  “We had over 650 students take AP exams last year,” Roberts said. “They did very well.”

Bob Jones also excelled in other areas factored into the list, including its college matriculation rate of 93 percent, a higher percentage than Grissom and three other Alabama schools on the list.