After evaluating data from more than 17,800 secondary schools, U.S. News & World Report has released its annual Best High Schools breakdown, which has several Orange County campuses ranked prominently.
Oxford Academy in the Anaheim Union High School District was highest on the list locally, ranking No. 3 in California and No. 16 nationally. The digital media outlet noted that Oxford offers “an intensive honors curriculum that requires students to take a minimum of four Advanced Placement courses to graduate.” Oxford freshman and sophomores can also select from four career pathways, including biomedical science, engineering, business/entrepreneurship, and software systems and development.
“Oxford Academy boasts a culturally diverse student body, with many students coming from homes where English is the second language,” U.S. News says.
All total, nine Orange County schools placed within California’s top 100, and a dozen local schools ranked within the top 1,000 nationally.
They include Troy High School in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District. Troy was Orange County’s second highest-rated school, coming in at No. 26 in California and No. 203 in the national rankings. Orange County School of the Arts, a charter in Santa Ana, was third in the county. It ranked No. 38 in California and No. 303 nationally.
University and Northwood high schools in the Irvine Unified School District were next on the OC list, ranking No. 47 and No. 55 in California, respectively.
The No. 1 spot in the nation was once again claimed by Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, located in Alexandria, Virginia. With a STEM-focused curriculum, Jefferson boasts 15 specialized research labs and offers such courses as DNA science, advanced marine biology, automation and robotics, architectural drawing and design, research statistics and AP calculus, the report says.
Methodology based on six factors
While a number of news outlets have attempted to rank school programs over the years, U.S. News is probably the best known and most consistent, producing its list annually.
Coordinating with North Carolina-based RTI International, a global nonprofit social science research firm, U.S. News examined indicators in six areas: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth, and graduation rates.
“College readiness” measured participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams. “Underserved student performance” focused on students who are Black, Hispanic, or from low-income households. For the first time, science proficiency and performance also factored into the methodology for states where science assessment data was available.
“The Best High Schools rankings take a comprehensive approach to evaluating schools,” said Eric Brooks, principal data analyst at U.S. News. “Looking at factors like graduation rates and underserved student performance, families can use this information to learn more about their local schools.”
The report, made public after midnight on April 26, includes a searchable database of more than 24,000 public high schools from 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Here are the Orange County schools that we found in the top 2,000:
- Oxford Academy High School, Anaheim Union High School District; No. 3 in California, No. 16 in national rankings
- Troy High School, Fullerton Joint Union High School District; No. 26 in California, No. 203 in national rankings
- Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), a charter school in Santa Ana; No. 38 in California, No. 303 in national rankings
- University High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 47 in California, No. 378 in national rankings
- Northwood High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 55 in California, No. 423 in national rankings
- La Quinta High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 58 in California, No. 439 in national rankings
- Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana, a charter school in Santa Ana; No. 69 in California, No. 524 in national rankings
- Woodbridge High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 71 in California, No. 532 in national rankings
- Arnold O. Beckman High School, Tustin Unified School District; No. 86 in California, No. 643 in national rankings
- Corona Del Mar High School, Newport-Mesa Unified School District; No. 89 in California, No. 658 in national rankings
- Sunny Hills High School, Fullerton Joint Union High; No. 106 in California, No. 820 in national rankings
- Samueli Academy, a charter school in Santa Ana; No. 107 in California, No. 825 in national rankings
- San Juan Hills High School, Capistrano Unified School District; No. 124 in California, No. 907 in national rankings
- Laguna Beach High School, Laguna Beach Unified School District; No. 130 in California, No. 935 in national rankings
- Fountain Valley High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 139 in California, No. 1,006 in national rankings
- Yorba Linda High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District; No. 145 in California, No. 1,032 in national rankings
- Irvine High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 153 in California, No. 1,080 in national rankings
- Tesoro High School, Capistrano Unified School District; No. 156 in California, No. 1,091 in national rankings
- Los Alamitos High School, Los Alamitos Unified School District; No. 161 in California, No. 1,112 in national rankings
- Valencia High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District; No. 179 in California, No. 1,203 in national rankings
- Pacifica High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 185 in California, No. 1,255 in national rankings
- Aliso Niguel High School, Capistrano Unified School District; No. 189 in California, No. 1,302 in national rankings
- Garden Grove High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 195 in California, No. 1,344 in national rankings
- Bolsa Grande High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 214 in California, No. 1,507 in national rankings
- Huntington Beach High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 216 in California; No. 1,515 in national rankings
- Hector G. Godinez High School, Santa Ana Unified School District; No. 217 in California, No. 1,519 in national rankings
- Foothill High School, Tustin Unified School District; No. 238 in California; No. 1,683 in national rankings
- Westminster High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 245 in California; No. 1,749 in national rankings
- Cypress High School, Anaheim Union High School District; No. 250 in California, No. 1,773 in national rankings
- El Dorado High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District; No. 263 in California; No. 1,838 in national rankings
- Laguna Hills High School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District; No. 269 in California, No. 1,867 in national rankings
Did we miss any Orange County schools in the nation’s top 2,000? Let us know by emailing communications@ocde.us.