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The High School of Public Service, Heroes of Tomorrow in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, got an "A" on its latest progress report, for the third year in a row. The grade is based on the graduation rate, test scores, attendance and a survey of students, teachers and parents.

In all, 32.7 percent of city public high schools got an "A," 31.6 percent got a "B," 24 percent got a "C," 8.2 percent got a "D" and 3.6 percent got an "F."

But for the first time, the reports also reveal how many students in each high school go to college and how many of them are ready for college work. Next year, those will be factored into the school's grade.

At the High School of Public Service, a whopping 90 percent go to college, but only 25 percent of the school's students are prepared for the work.

Citywide, figures show 46 percent of students go to college right away, but just 25 percent of high school students are ready, so many who enroll never earn a degree.

"Right now, the level of performance is unacceptable," said Department of Education Chief Accountability Officer Shael Polakow-Suransky.

It is an issue getting a lot of attention. As the DOE released the new data Monday, City Council members were questioning City University of New York administrators on the increasing numbers of students who need to take remedial classes.

"The whole idea that more students are graduating may sound exciting, but what I'm not excited about is that we are graduating students that are not ready for college. It scares me," said Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera.

DOE officials have not decided how much the college statistics will count toward each schools' grade next year.

The number of "A" schools is down 6 percentage points from last year, which DOE officials say is because the state increased graduation requirements and instituted a new rule against re-scoring Regents exams that fell just below the passing mark.

At a separate press conference, Mayor Michael Bloomberg defended the graduation rate but admitted many graduates need to be better prepared.

"There is no question that we are not preparing our kids well enough, given the increased needs for technological competency and the ability to reason and think," said the mayor. "It is a really big societal problem and we are going to have to keep working on it."

Schools that get a "D," "F" or three "Cs" in a row are at risk of being closed. There are 60 schools this year that fall into those categories.

Seven high schools did not get a grade. The DOE says their data raised red flags and all seven have been referred to investigators for possible cheating.

The progress reports are all posted on the Department of Education's website.