Best Buys

This year there are 160 Best Buy high schools in the state of Indiana. There are two methods by which a school can become a Best Buy. The school was named a Best Buy if it had an above median quality index of 73.6904 or higher and expenditures below the statewide median of $5,713.15 per student. The second method by which high schools could qualify was to have a variance greater than 10% between the quality percentile index ranking and the expenditures percentile ranking. Schools with a quality index-ranking percentile that was 10% or more than their expenditures per pupil ranking percentile qualified as Best Buys (even if their expenditures per pupil was above the statewide median or their quality index was below the statewide median). All the high schools in the state of Indiana were ranked from the highest quality index (#1) to the lowest quality index (#345). The schools were also ranked from the highest expenditures (#1) to the lowest expenditures per student (#345). The 10% variance method was implemented to include those schools that may have above median expenditures, but are still doing extremely well with a high quality index. Alternatively, schools with a quality index below the statewide median, but whose funding is extremely low, would also qualify as Best Buys. For example, if a school was ranked as being in the top 10% quality index and was in the 80th percentile (high spending) in expenditures, it would not be included in the Best Buys list under the median method. However, under the 10% variance method the school is still listed as a Best Buy. Likewise, if a school was in the 60th(less than the median) percentile of the quality index and 10th percentile on expenditures (low spending), it would also qualify as a Best Buy under the 10% variance method. Best Buy schools are those school that give taxpayers the most for their money.

Honor Roll

From the list of Best Buy high schools, Honor Roll schools are designated. These schools not only excel academically relative to their funding levels, but also have at-risk factors above the statewide median of .1983. Honor Roll schools have encouraged students to be achievers in spite of the higher percentage of students facing some extenuating circumstances outside the school.