Parkway Central High and West High have been named two of the country’s best high schools by U.S. News & World Report.  Central and West High both received Silver Medals in the fourth annual list of America's Best High Schools. West High was also ranked among the top 10 schools in Missouri. 

All four Parkway high schools exceeded the minimum requirements for the college readiness index.

U.S. News partnered with the Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research (AIR), which implemented U.S. News's rankings methodology. To determine the Best High Schools national rankings, schools were first analyzed at the state level in terms of how well students in each school performed on state assessments, taking into account the test scores of disadvantaged students (low-income, Hispanic, and black), who tend to score lower on tests.

High schools that made it through this analysis were then eligible to be ranked nationally, in terms of college readiness. U.S. News determines the degree to which schools prepare students for college-level work by analyzing student success in Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs, both of which include college-level courses.

Learn more about U.S. News' Best High Schools listing.