By KYLE WIND
Freeman staff
kwind@freemanonline.com; twitter.com/KyleatFreeman

RHINEBECK, N.Y. — Rhinebeck High School again is listed among Newsweek magazine’s top 1,000 high schools in the United States list, but New Paltz and Red Hook high schools, the only other local schools on the list in recent years, did not make the cut in 2012.

Rhinebeck was ranked 789th in the publication’s “Challenge Index,” a ranking system that focuses on rigor rather than grades. The system is based on an equation that divides the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests given at a school each year by the number of graduating seniors.

Rhinebeck’s ranking in 2011 was 398th.

Rhinebeck Superintendent of Schools Joseph Phelan said on Wednesday that the district strives to prepare students for life after high school.

“It’s certainly a positive for the staff, kids and parents to get the recognition,” Phelan said, adding that the ranking is “an indication we’re on the right track.”

Still, Phelan said rankings like Newsweek’s do not take into account every pertinent factor and have their limitations.

He noted that Rhinebeck’s just-approved budget for 2012-13 maintains programs and services that helped the district gain the recognition, but, given current economic conditions, he is “taking it one year at a time.”

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