Lincoln Park Academy, Jensen Beach High make Newsweek's top 500 schools list

Two Treasure Coast high schools are among the best high schools in the nation, according to a study by Newsweek magazine.

Of the nation's top 500 schools, St. Lucie County's Lincoln Park Academy is ranked No. 203 and Jensen Beach High in Martin County is ranked No. 399 in the magazine's latest study of "America's Best High Schools."

Newsweek has published the list annually for more than a decade, but this year revamped its methodology. The full list is available at www.newsweek.com and appears in print in the June 27 edition of Newsweek, which is on newsstands now.

In the past, Newsweek's honor roll was based on the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge tests taken per graduate. This year, the magazine also included a school's graduation rate, college matriculation rate, average SAT/ACT scores, average AP/IB scores and number of AP courses a school offered in the calculations.

Including the two Treasure Coast schools, 43 Florida schools made the 2011 list.

Last year, under the old methodology, more than 1,600 schools made Newsweek's list including 139 Florida schools and four Treasure Coast schools.

On the 2010 list, Lincoln Park Academy, a Fort Pierce magnet school, ranked No. 289, Martin County's South Fork High was No. 505, Jensen Beach High No. 935, and Vero Beach High was No. 1,611.

In 2009, six local schools made the list including Sebastian River High in Indian River and Martin County High.

HOW THEY RANKED

Two Treasure Coast high schools made Newsweek's annual Nation's Best High Schools list. Below is where each school ranked on the list in 2011, followed by their 2010 ranking.

School County 2011 ranking 2010 ranking

Lincoln Park Academy St. Lucie 203 289

Jensen Beach High School Martin 399 935

Source: Newsweek.com