Hopkinton High School ranked eighth out of 353 public schools across the state in this year’s nationwide survey of high schools by U.S. News & World Report.

HHS maintained its eighth place ranking from last year’s survey. It improved its nationwide position from 224th to 216th against 17,945 nationally ranked schools. Over 27,000 public schools were reviewed in all 50 states and the District of Columbia as part of the survey. HHS received an overall score of 98.8.

Hopkinton Public Schools Superintendent Evan Bishop, who served as HHS principal until being promoted this spring, stated in an email that the move up in the nationwide rankings was something about which the school community should be proud. “Rankings can never tell the full story of a school, but the consistency does speak to the high expectations we have for our students and the quality of the teaching and learning happening at HHS every day,” he stated.

Bishop also spoke to HHS ranking 78th in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) among public high schools across the country, calling it “particularly impressive.” He highlighted the opportunities made available to students by knowledgeable staff to apply what they have learned and explore areas of interest as a contributing factor. Bishop also credited HHS students who are willing to challenge themselves academically.

U.S. News looks at six factors in its methodology for evaluation: college readiness, state assessment proficiency, state assessment performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rate.

College readiness — for which Hopkinton ranks 240th nationally and seventh statewide — is the factor with the most weight, comprising 30% of a school’s overall score. It is based on the proportion of Grade 12 students who took and earned a qualifying score on at least one Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate exam. According to HHS’ scorecard, AP participation is at 80%. Of those who sat for AP exams, 94% scored a 3 or better.

U.S. News scored HHS’ college readiness index at 76.2 out of 100. Its ranking data showed that Hopkinton is well above state proficiency scores in mathematics, reading and science.

Bishop characterized the results as a combined effort between staff, students and district families.

“We’re very proud of this recognition and, more importantly, of the people behind it,” he stated. “Our students work incredibly hard, and they are supported every day by talented and dedicated teachers, staff and administrators.”

Added Bishop: “This is a shared accomplishment and a nice opportunity to recognize the hard work, talent and commitment of so many people.”