Rickie Crisostomo

Your child's education is one of the greatest investments you will ever make. Choosing the right school will help your child through their high school years, but how do you choose the 'right' school? There are so many things to consider, and it seems wherever you look you will find someone claiming to be the 'best'. There are multiple lists published every year ranking schools on a wide range of criteria, including academic or sporting performance, college acceptance rates, student satisfaction and teacher/student ratio. So which list is right and how do you decide the best school for your child? Several of these lists have been compared and below you will find the public high schools which feature consistently across them all.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) regularly features strongly in many lists of top schools. In fact, this school was the only one named in all lists compared for this article.

Location: Alexandria, Virginia

Graduation Rate: 99%

Reading Proficiency: 99%

Math Proficiency: 99%

Student Population: < 2,000

Student to Teacher Ratio: 17:1

College Readiness Index: 100%

While Gwinnett School of Mathematics, Science and Technology was only founded in 2007, it has quickly gained a reputation as a quality school, regularly ranking highly across a number of categories.

Location: Lawrenceville, Georgia

Graduation Rate: 95%

Reading Proficiency: 97%

Math Proficiency: 96%

Student Population: < 1,000

Student to Teacher Ratio: 17:1

College Readiness Index: 98.9%

Opening in 2010, BASIS Oro Valley has quickly gained an enviable reputation as a quality school. A diverse range of extracurricular activities are available in this school which has regularly featured in the top 10 of American High Schools since it opened in 2010.

Location: Oro Valley, Arizona

Graduation Rate: 90%

Reading Proficiency: 92%

Math Proficiency: 88%

Student Population: < 600

Student to Teacher Ratio: 6:1

College Readiness Index: 100%

BASIS Scottsdale has been named the number one Charter School in America every year since 201Students begin taking Advanced Placement courses in or before the 10th grade and the school's commitment to excellence is shown in their very impressive results.

Location: Scottsdale, Arizona

Graduation Rate: 95%

Reading Proficiency: 92%

Math Proficiency: 86%

Student Population: < 800

Student to Teacher Ratio: 11:1

College Readiness Index: 100%

Bergen County Academies' curriculum is based on the International Baccalaureate structure and offers courses in Science and Technology, Medical Science Technology, Visual and Performing Arts, Business and Finance, Technology and Computer Science, Culinary Arts and Hotel Administration, and Engineering and Design Technology. Students of BCA are encouraged to pursue a personal interest rather than a career objective.

Location: Hackensack, New Jersey

Graduation Rate: 99%

Reading Proficiency: 88%

Math Proficiency: 96%

Student Population: < 1,100

Student to Teacher Ratio: 11:1

College Readiness Index: 96.3%

The Bronx High School of Science has a large number of students (approximately 3,000) and a higher than average student to teacher ratio (22:1), but this is not reflected in the excellent results they achieve year after year.

Location: Bronx, New York

Graduation Rate: 99%

Reading Proficiency: 99%

Math Proficiency: 99%

Student Population: > 3,000

Student to Teacher Ratio: 22:1

College Readiness Index: 92.2%

The International Academy of Macomb is the highest ranked high school in Michigan and offers an International Baccalaureate curriculum. Lower than average student numbers (less than 500) mean extremely competitive entrance requirements.

Location: Clinton Township, Michigan

Graduation Rate: 99%

Reading Proficiency: 98%

Math Proficiency: 98%

Student Population: < 500

Student to Teacher Ratio: 93:1

College Readiness Index: 100%

With challenging classes, a wide range of courses to choose from and a variety of extracurricular activities, the Liberal Arts and Science Academy strive to nurture the leaders of tomorrow.

Location: Austin, Texas

Graduation Rate: 99%

Reading Proficiency: 99%

Math Proficiency: 99%

Student Population: >1,000

Student to Teacher Ratio: 16:1

College Readiness Index: 100%

Focussing on college preparation, Staten Island Technical boasts an impressive 100% Advanced Placement participation rate. As the name indicates, there is a focus on technology however arts are supported and encouraged for all students.

Location: Staten Island, New York

Graduation Rate: 99%

Reading Proficiency: 99%

Math Proficiency: 99%

Student Population: > 1,200

Student to Teacher Ratio: 22:1

College Readiness Index: 97.1%

Offering a wide selection of academic, athletic and arts opportunities, Stuyvesant High School has remained a symbol of excellence in education for over 100 years. The curriculum is designed to instill a sense of purpose for all students, so they may grow into responsible global citizens.

Location: Manhattan, New York

Graduation Rate: 99%

Reading Proficiency: 99%

Math Proficiency: 99%

Student Population: > 3,000

Student to Teacher Ratio: 22:1

College Readiness Index: 91%

Independent studies show 100% of students feel safe at Walter Payton College Preparatory. Providing world-class education and facilities to students, this school focuses on developing each child as an individual.

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Graduation Rate: 95%

Reading Proficiency: 92%

Math Proficiency: 95%

Student Population: < 1,000

Student to Teacher Ratio: 16:1

College Readiness Index: 93.4%

High Technology High School follows an engineering-centric curriculum with many students earning college credits through a range of courses developed with universities and colleges. The school encourages active parental participation, creating a high achieving environment with a community feel.

Location: Lincroft, New Jersey

Graduation Rate: 95%

Reading Proficiency: 94%

Math Proficiency: 95%

Student Population: < 300

Student to Teacher Ratio: 14:1

College Readiness Index: 100%

With an accelerated curriculum, The Early College at Guilford sees many students graduating with up to two years of college credits. A very small school, competition is high and with a focus on academic goals, the school has no sporting teams.

Location: Greesnboro, North Carolina

Graduation Rate: 90%

Reading Proficiency: 90%

Math Proficiency: 90%

Student Population: 200

Student to Teacher Ratio: 25:1

College Readiness Index: 100%

Small class sizes help the Baccalaureate School for Global Education develop students' social and intellectual skills. Teachers and Instructors regularly participate in professional development activities, ensuring engaging and up-to-date content at all times.

Location: Long Island City, New York

Graduation Rate: 95%

Reading Proficiency: 98%

Math Proficiency: 99%

Student Population: > 500

Student to Teacher Ratio: 16:1

College Readiness Index: 100%

Carnegie Vanguard High School is committed to providing a unique and diverse learning experience for every student. 100% of all students have been identified as gifted or talented academics, students' results regularly exceed national and state averages.

Location: Houston, Texas

Graduation Rate: 95%

Reading Proficiency: 99%

Math Proficiency: 90%

Student Population: > 700

Student to Teacher Ratio: 19:1

College Readiness Index: 100%

PDF is a hugely popular format for documents simply because it is independent of the hardware or application used to create that file. This means it can be viewed across multiple devices, regardless of the underlying operating system. Also, sharing between users is fairly easy. Another key advantage with PDF files is that files from any format can be converted to PDF format without any data loss whatsoever. That's exactly what we'll see in this article too. We will explore the different ways by which you can export a file as a PDF.

There are many free PDF conversion tools available online that will convert files in any format to PDF. A lot of them are simple to use as well. You have to upload a document in any format to the site and within minutes, the conversion is done and is ready for download. However, some sites do place a restriction on size and frequency. For example, some sites allow only small PDF files, typically less than a few MB while others restrict to one conversion an hour/day. You can overcome these restrictions by becoming a paid member of these sites.

You can use Microsoft Office programs to make this conversion, and no additional software is needed to translate to PDF document. To do that, navigate to File menu. Choose Export or Save As options depending on the Office document you're using and select PDF option. This will transfer data in files to PDF format.

To export an open document to PDF for printing or viewing, go to File > Export. Give a specific name and location for the new PDF file. If you prefer the PDF document to have the same name as that of the original one, use InDesign document name option.

If you want to save a Pages document in PDF format, simply open the document and choose File >Export To > PDF. You can even specify the necessary settings. You can add a password as well. To do this, simply check the password box and select a password for your document.

This adds an extra layer of security to your document, even if your computer is hacked or used by unauthorized users. This is particularly a useful feature to have for files containing confidential or private data.

There are many paid and free pdf converter applications. But these have to be downloaded to your system and they come with a license, especially if it is a paid tool. Some conversion software gives a free trial period to give you a feel of what they're offering and you can continue with the subscription if you're interested.

If you have printable time sheets PDF or want to post PDF forms online, such a tool will be useful as it will do batch conversions as well.

In short, PDF format offers a ton of flexibility for users when compared to other document formats, and this is why you can choose from one of the above options to convert your documents to this format.