It's Our City // CC BY 2.0
For many students, attending elite universities like Harvard University, Princeton University, or Massachusetts Institute of Technology is the ultimate academic achievement. But for some students at select high schools in Pennsylvania, it seems to be routine practice.
A survey by PolarisList, an organization that ranks top high schools, found that three private suburban high schools in Pennsylvania were among the 100 top high schools in the nation sending the most students to Harvard, Princeton, and MIT. These three universities are the most selective in the nation, reported the Philadelphia Business Journal.
In Pennsylvania, The Hill School sent 13 high school students to the three universities from 2015 to 2017, ranking 80th on the list. The Episcopal Academy and The Haverford School both took the 93rd spot, each sending 12 students to Harvard, Princeton, and MIT.
Specifically within Philadelphia County, however, The Germantown Friends School and The Julia R. Masterman School both ranked first, while the William Penn Charter School ranked third. In total, the schools sent 17 high school students to the three universities from 2015 to 2017.
PolarisList noted that they chose to focus on Harvard, Princeton, and MIT “based on a combination of their selectivity and their accessibility to lower income students.” According to the latest U.S. News and World Report 2019 top college ranking, Princeton, Harvard, and MIT were ranked first, second, and third, respectively. Penn took the eighth spot for the third consecutive year, sharing the position with Duke University.
According to Penn Admissions, 373 high school students from Pennsylvania enrolled at Penn in 2017.
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