Lynbrook High School in San Jose has been named by US News and World Report as the 10th best STEM school in the nation.
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies have gained increasing attention in the past decade, particularly in the tech-focused Silicon Valley.
Lynbrook has stood out as a STEM school for years, but this is the first time the high school has received this sort of recognition for its efforts.
“There are numerous factors, but the main reason why Lynbrook received this recognition is the students,” said Jason Lee, science teacher and first-year STEM lead at the high school. “They are passionate and inspired by what they see, read and learn, and they exemplify true science: recognizing problems and gaps in the world and realizing that they very well could have the idea to solve them, using best scientific and engineering practices, of course.”
Lee adds that it is a group effort by all involved to enrich students lives.
“These students work incredibly hard and have amazing ideas, and the faculty, parents and organizations at Lynbrook have responded by providing them as much support as possible to make their aspirations real,” said Lee.
Along with the website’s “Best STEM Schools 2015” ranking, the “Best High Schools,” “Best Charter Schools” and “Best Magnet Schools” were other lists ranked by US News.
To rank the “Best High Schools,” different criteria were used to judge the schools including enrollment, test scores and diversity.
The No. 1 STEM school in America is High Technology High School in New Jersey, and the school ranked best overall is School for the Talented and Gifted in Texas. The online report also states that Maryland has the highest number of top-performing schools, followed by California and Connecticut.
Lee said that Lynbrook is honored to receive the award but is looking forward to continual improvement.
“My hope is to bring the structure and mentality of high-tech labs to high school–cooperation instead of competition amongst peers, innovative work spaces and technology, a safe outlet for creativity and the simple joys and excitement out of actually doing science,” he said.
