SchoolFinder Blog

School of the Week - Union County Magnet High School

October 8, 2008 – 3:21 pm by Kim

Starting this week, there will be a recurring “school of the week” featured here at SchoolFinder. This school will be selected based on test scores, AP involvement, health and nutrition programs, extracurricular activities, elective options and more.

So, without further ado, this week’s school of the week is Union County Magnet High School in Scotch Plains, New Jersey.

Union County Magnet High is part of the Union County Vocational School District and serves grades 9 -12. Approximately 292 students are enrolled, with 24 full-time teachers and a student-to-teacher ratio of 12:1.

I choose this school for a couple reasons. The first is that it was awarded a gold medal for being one of the updated top high schools of 2008 by U.S. News and World. In 2007 this school received a bronze award and one year later raised its standing to gold. This means that in one year the school increased their college readiness score to achieve a standing in the top 100 U.S. high schools.

The second reason is for the school’s 70.8% AP participation rate and an AP pass rate of 88.7%. This is an excellent participation rate and the passing rate is even better. Furthermore, the average exams per test taker was 2.8, meaning that multiple students were enrolled in more than one AP course.

Union County Magnet High School received a score of 66.7 on the college readiness index. This index measures the degree in which a student masters college-level materials, such as AP tests and honors courses.

Here are some additional facts about Union County Magnet H.S.:

• Awarded the Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence by the United State Department of Education during the 2004-2005 school year

• Cited as a “Public Elite” by Newsweek Magazine and described as a school with a “focus on science, math and technology”

• Offers 8 AP courses (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mechanics, Calculus, European History, English Literature and Composition and U.S. Government and Politics)

• Students can receive certifications in First Aid, CPR and Drafting