U.S. News & World Report has released its annual ranking of the best public high schools in the United States, and dozens from Los Angeles and specifically the San Fernando Valley have risen to the top.
In total, 84 schools from Los Angeles Unified School District — the second largest school district in the country after New York City — made the U.S. News ranking.
The publication looked at nearly 30,000 high schools around the nation and about 2,600 made the national list. U.S. News also ranked the best charter, magnet and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) schools.
Graduation rates, college readiness and state test scores were big factors in the rankings. Another factor was how well disadvantaged students, who tend to score lower on tests, fared at the schools. On Average, campuses on the list had graduation rates that were 15 percent higher than schools that didn’t make the rankings, according to U.S. News.
• RELATED STORY: Granada Hills Academic Decathlon champs bask in hero’s welcome on campus
For some of the Los Angeles schools, the U.S. News ranking only adds to their accolades. Magnet school Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies and Granada Hills Charter High School recently garnered the state Department of Education designation as Gold Ribbon schools, based on having model programs and practices.
Below is a list of schools among those in the San Fernando Valley to make the national rankings, in alphabetical order:
• Birmingham Community Charter High School in Lake Balboa (ranked 2032nd)
• Cesar E. Chavez Learning Academies in San Fernando (1966th)
• CHAMPS Charter High School of the Arts – Multimedia and Performing in Van Nuys (1897th)
• Daniel Pearl Magnet High School in Lake Balboa, which specializes in journalism (849th)
• John H. Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley (1991st)
• Grover Cleveland Charter High School in Reseda (1403rd)
• Magnolia Science Academy in Reseda (136th)
• Magnolia Science Academy 2 in Lake Balboa (1293rd)
• North Hollywood High School (955th)
• Northridge Academy High School (1472nd)
• PUC Lakeview Charter High School in Sylmar (1228th)
• PUC Triumph Charter High School in Sylmar (478th)
• Reseda High School (1443rd)
• Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies (493rd)
• Sylmar Charter High School (formerly Sylmar High School) (2375th)
• Van Nuys High School (907th)
• Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in Pacoima (1686th)
• Verdugo Hills High School (1817th)
• William Howard Taft Charter High School in Woodland Hills (1340th)
Despite the high number of Los Angeles-area campuses making the list, including a handful in the Glendale and Burbank districts, schools in Arizona, New Jersey and Texas were deemed the very best in the United States.
BASIS Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Ariz., where 100 percent of students take Advanced Placement classes, was named both the best high school and the best charter school in the nation. The School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas was named the best magnet school and High Technology High School in Lincroft, N.J., ranked as the best STEM high school.
You can read the complete rankings here.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
