RI's #5 School: Barrington High School

RI's #5 School: Barrington High School

Known beyond Rhode Island's borders as a top public high school in a community of riches, Barrington holds some of the highest scores in the 2011 Top High Schools ranking, including a 95% above proficient score in Reading NECAPs (beat only by Classical High School's 98%) and a 73% above proficient in Math (the top score in RI for 2010-11). It also posts one of the top graduation rates in the 2011, with 95.6%. Further, its average SATs are second only to those of East Greenwich High, this year's #1 school.

Why fifth place? Class size and spending per student. Barrington's student-teacher ratio of 12:1 is the second-highest in the Top 10, again, second only to Classical. And its per student spending of $12,379 is the lowest amount in this year's Top 10 schools. And yet, Barrington continues to attract families from far away, seeking the platform the school provides, even with these relative shortcomings. Many are drawn, say parents, to the school's strong athletics program across the board. And, as Barrington-based Realtors confirm, the high school's reputation as a strong conduit to colleges only reinforces that pattern. For more on high schools and home buying, read here.

East Bay media moguls

Every weekday morning, a group of about 20 BHS students produce Sunrise on Eagle's Wing,  a morning television program. The show, with segments on school news, sports, and weather, broadcasts live to the entire student body and streams on the Internet.  BHS students have snagged interviews with former Rhode Island congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, winner of the The Amazing Race, Dan Pious, and 8-time PGA tour winner Brad Faxon.

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Barrington High School at a Glance

Enrollment: 1,150

Mascot: The Eagles

Famous alums:

• Providence Journal Sports Columnist Bill Reynolds
• PGA Golfer Brad Faxon
• Phil Madeira, an award-winning songwriter and musician, noted for his work with Emmylou Harris
• Judy Clapp, a recording engineer who has worked with Dwight Yoakam and Bill Frisell
• Brian Howe, film and television actor
• Marceline Hugot, a film, television, and Broadway actress
• Brett Quigley, PGA golfer
• Shanna Moakler, Former Miss USA, Playboy Magazine model and ex-wife of Blink-182 Drummer Travis Barker, with whom she featured in MTV's Meet the Barkers
• Spalding Gray, famous monologuist and actor
• Matthew Broome, amateur golfer, graduated in 2007, New England Amateur Champion
• World-renowned academic and skynet critic Henry Giroux taught at Barrington in the 1970s

For a downloadable, printable version of RI's Top High Schools 2011, with the full chart of rankings and summaries of key articles, click here.