Magnet Schools of America (MSA) has named 14 new nationally certified schools and 17 new certified demonstration schools. These schools provide exemplar magnet education opportunities to their students and they bring the total number of nationally certified schools to 151.
Magnet high schools are public high schools that offer specialized courses, often designed around a theme. Any student in the designated region can attend, which causes most magnet schools to use a lottery system to accept applicants. Some magnet schools use an application process that involves test scores and GPAs. The following are the nation's best magnet schools, as calculated by U.S. News.
Charter and magnet schools are well represented in the top tier of the U.S. News Best High Schools rankings. Both models – when compared with the long history of traditional public schools – are relatively new. Magnet schools came into existence in the late 1960s as districts looked to encourage voluntary desegregation by attracting diverse groups to enroll around specific academic specialties. Charter schools followed in the early 1990s, with the stated goal to be more flexible and innovative than traditional counterparts.
Three magnet schools received a U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School recognition: Eagle Rock Elementary School, Los Angeles, California; Marine and Science Technology Academy (MAST) Academy in Miami, Florida; and Dutch Fork Elementary School, Irmo, South Carolina.
The House Committee on Appropriations voted yesterday to approve a $18 million increase in funding for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP), raising the federal funding level to $125 million for FY20. This increase was included in the appropriations package for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies (LHHS), and follows months of congressional outreach by Magnet Schools of America on behalf of its vast membership of magnet schools.
Magnet Schools of America (MSA) announced its 2019 awards recipients during the 37th National Conference on Magnet Schools in Baltimore, Maryland on April 11 hosted by Baltimore County Public Schools. The conference brought together 1,200 magnet leaders and educators to celebrate top-performing schools and learn best practices on curriculum, leadership and school design.
Raise the level of performance consistent throughout school districts nationwide and creates a platform from which all magnet schools can flourish. Magnet Schools of America’s national certification process is designed to recognize the hard work of the best magnet schools in the nation and to help them as they grow.
