Be very careful with that list. Those are specialized, highly competitive schools. What puts them on that list as opposed to Oklahoma School of Science and Math

Be very careful with that list. Those are specialized, highly competitive schools. What puts them on that list as opposed to Oklahoma School of Science and Math or North Carolina School of Science and Math is that the latter are boarding schools that serve their whole state. These are schools that serve the same role but only allow people in from their county (e.g., Alexandria County for Thomas Jefferson). Also, US News and World Report rankings are useless. They're a measure solely of prestige and brand, not of any actual quality of education. I'm not saying your wrong. I'm just saying that this data doesn't support your point.