Boston Magazine’s rankings for the best public high schools in the greater Boston area came out in August, and WHS has topped the list for the second year in a row. Many factors make up this ranking including SAT and MCAS scores, the student-to-teacher ratio, and the graduation rate.
Weston’s resources, the quality of teachers, and the ambition of students contribute to this ranking but also create differing opinions.
“We know internally what our strengths and weaknesses are. I don’t think that we need a ranking system to tell us that there’s a lot of success happening in this building,” principal Paul Peri said. “It is really positive to have state and national recognition, but then at the same time there are some criticisms that come with it as well.”
This ranking does not take into account aspects such as the student experience and extracurriculars. Because of this, some prefer to view the rankings as having limited relevance.
“I think the ranking is important in the narrow scope of what it measures. If I’m a student, I’m not just coming here because of the great MCAS scores or class sizes, but I’m coming here for the sports, music, great teachers, and other opportunities,” assistant superintendent Kimo Carter said. “I’m coming here for the social scene.”
Factors such as how wealthy a district is and the percentage of high performing students can also influence how well a school does in this ranking system.
“There are potential negatives [to these rankings] such as inequity. A school system that starts with more opportunities than another continues to get rewarded in this ranking system, and that could mean some of the best and brightest are flocking to those high performance schools,” Peri said. “This makes those schools even stronger and better, causing other schools to drop further, making the discrepancy between schools larger.”
In fact, WHS has experienced an increase in students due to its ranking, other publicly available statistics, and the education that it provides. From 2021 to 2023, the high school had a 4.5% increase in enrollment, an especially large increase in comparison to the 17.8% decrease in enrollment from 2012 to 2021. Some students new to WHS this year confirm that the school’s reputation was a factor in their family’s decision-making.
“We were deciding on where to move near Boston, and my dad heard that Weston has a very good school system,” junior and new student Beck Simunovic said.
While students feel lucky that they have the opportunity to receive an education at such a high-performing school, they feel the pressure of living up to and maintaining these standards.
“I think the ranking gives students a leg up, but I also think it creates a very competitive atmosphere,” junior Gracyn Summersgill said.
Some faculty members also feel this pressure as they are concerned about how they will be viewed if the school drops in rank.
“When the spotlight gets shone on us and we get outside validation, we know that everyone is going to expect us to be number one next year, and what if we’re not?” said WHS librarian Alida Hanson.
Because of these issues with the ranking system, the school does not place as much importance on this ranking as it has in the past, instead aiming to celebrate students’ and faculty’s hard work and achievements in other ways.
“I love to see celebrations at sporting events, at concerts, or at the art show. Many of our sports teams have competed for championships, many of our students have done very well academically, and we have showcase events,” Carter said. “Those celebrations are more meaningful to me than comparative rankings and data.”
WHS looks to maintain a top spot by providing students with a quality education along with the support to enable everyone to achieve in rigorous classes and on standardized tests.
“We are a school that believes in opportunity. There are schools that manipulate the numbers the best they can, and Weston wants no part of that. This is authentic and real and we go by the book,” Peri said. “We are trying to open doors for students so that they can have the best possible high school experience.”
Because of these beliefs that WHS holds, most accept that the school will not always be number one and are fine with that fact.
“While it’s important for us to be in the top tier every year, we won’t be disappointed if we end up being number two or number three next year. We’ll just continue to be excellent,” Carter said.
