Niche, a school ranking and college guidebook website, recently ranked Hall High School as the 22nd best public high school in the state of Connecticut.  This ranking represents Hall’s achievement’s in terms of student’s test scores, college data, and ratings collected from millions of Niche users.”

Niche’s full methodology can be viewed here.

The website puts out a new list of the best Connecticut public high schools each year, giving those interested perspective on where various schools place.

New Canaan High School topped this year’s list, owing its first place ranking to a 99% graduation rate, A+ reviews for academics; teachers; and college readiness, as well as 81% proficiency in reading. Hall graduation rate is 1% lower than New Canaan’s and the school also receives A marks in academics; teachers; and college readiness, however Niche sites Hall’s reading proficiency as 57%.

Another category that affects a school’s ranking is that of AP exam scores.  According to Dan Zittoun, Principal of Hall High School, “The largest step [Hall] could take to improve our rankings is by increasing our participation in AP courses by those students not already enrolled.” To further exemplify this claim, New Canaan High School has a 60% AP enrollment rate in comparison to Hall’s 35% enrollment rate.

When asked if rankings are an accurate representation of a school’s achievements and ability to prepare it’s students, Principal Zittoun responded, “I believe the rankings give a general representation of a school’s achievement and ability to prepare students.” He believed schools in the top 20s to be equivalent in terms of quality, with only minor differences.

Just by stepping foot into Hall’s brightly-lit front hallway, one can see the pride the school takes in its ranking. A shiny display case sits next to the front door stuffed with plaques that read “U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools in America 2013” and “Newsweek Best High School 2013”.  The school also emphasizes the fact that The U.S. News and World Report, an offshoot of one of America’s oldest newspapers, ranked Hall as Connecticut’s 13th best high school for the 2016 school year, earning it a silver medal.

Although these organizations have yet to release their 2017 rankings, Hall is believed to remain in about the same position. Hall’s ranking is higher for these organizations in comparison to Niche, because they also take into account factors like a school’s counselor-to-student ratio and student retention. These variations in methodology can cause rankings to vary greatly between ranking services.

Despite the discrepancies between Niche and Newsweek, students have their own ideas about where Hall stands in comparison to other Connecticut high schools.

Hall senior Belen Dumont first glanced at the school rankings after transferring from Simsbury High School her sophomore year. She perceived Hall to be a school with “good programs, an active community, and a safe learning environment.” From these perceptions, she estimated Hall to be one of the top schools in the state.

Ms. Dumont’s misconceptions about Hall’s ranking may be related to her positive view of Hall’s athletic programs. A step outside Hall’s doors leads you to blue-and-white clad athletes practicing on Hall’s manicured athletic areas, such as the state-championship-winning Indoor Track & Field and Cheerleading teams. However, athletic awards such as these are not weighted as heavily as academics when determining rankings.

A combination of Hall’s academic markers, and to a lesser extent student activities and a few other factors, accumulated to earn Hall the 22nd spot in the Connecticut Public High School Rankings this year.