Numerous public schools in Orange County made their way onto the U.S. News & World Report’s yearly breakdown of the nation’s best high schools, which examined data from more than 25,000 campuses.
Oxford Academy in the Anaheim Union High School District was highest on the list locally, ranking No. 1 in California and No. 9 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 freshmen and sophomores can choose from four career pathways to supplement their core courses, including biomedical science, engineering, business/entrepreneurship, and software systems and development.
Overall, nine campuses in Orange County placed within California’s top 100 and 17 local schools placed in the top 1,000 nationally.
They include Troy High School in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District. Troy was the second-highest-ranked school in Orange County, coming in at No. 28 in California and No. 204 in the national rankings. Northwood High School in the Irvine Unified School District was third in the county. It ranked No. 31 in California and No. 216 nationally.
University High School from Irvine Unified closely followed, ranking No. 35 in California and No. 255 nationally. Orange County School of the Arts in Santa Ana, Woodbridge High School in Irvine, Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana, Irvine High School and the Garden Grove Unified School District’s La Quinta High School were also listed within the top 2 percent.
The No. 1 spot in the nation was claimed by The Early College at Guilford, located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The school provides high school students with the chance to earn dual college credits from Guilford College, a private liberal arts institution, enabling them to graduate with two years’ worth of credit.
Methodology based on six factors
While various news outlets have made an effort to rank school programs over the years, U.S. News is perhaps the most widely recognized and consistent, publishing its rankings 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, state assessment proficiency, state assessment 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.
The report, made public on Tuesday, Aug. 29, includes a searchable database of more than 25,000 public high schools from 50 states and the District of Columbia. Readers can access a refined edition of the list, which compiles campuses in California, by clicking here.
Here are the Orange County schools that we found in the top 2,000:
- Oxford Academy, Anaheim Union High School District; No. 1 in California, No. 9 in national rankings
- Troy High School, Fullerton Joint Union High School District; No. 28 in California, No. 204 in national rankings
- Northwood High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 31 in California, No. 216 in national rankings
- University High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 35 in California, No. 255 in national rankings
- Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), a charter school in Santa Ana; No. 38 in California, No. 264 in national rankings
- Woodbridge High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 47 in California, No. 337 in national rankings
- Magnolia Science Academy Santa Ana, a charter school in Santa Ana; No. 47 in California, No. 358 in national rankings
- Irvine High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 61 in California, No. 423 in national rankings
- La Quinta High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 79 in California, No. 507 in national rankings
- Arnold O. Beckman High School, Tustin Unified School District; No. 110 in California, No. 757 in national rankings
- Laguna Beach High School, Laguna Beach Unified School District; No. 121 in California, No. 839 in national rankings
- Tesoro High School, Capistrano Unified School District; No. 124 in California, No. 849 in national rankings
- Corona del Mar High School, Newport-Mesa Unified School District; No. 125 in California, No. 852 in national rankings
- San Juan Hills High School, Capistrano Unified School District; No. 133 in California, No. 896 in national rankings
- Fountain Valley High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 135 in California, No. 919 in national rankings
- Sunny Hills High School, Fullerton Joint Union High School District; No. 137 in California, No. 923 in national rankings
- Yorba Linda High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District; No. 144 in California, No. 954 in national rankings
- Aliso Niguel High School, Capistrano Unified School District; No. 167 in California, No. 1,076 in national rankings
- Los Alamitos High School, Los Alamitos Unified School District; No. 169 in California, No. 1,086 in national rankings
- Valencia High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District; No. 173 in California, No. 1,107 in national rankings
- Pacifica High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 196 in California, No. 1,248 in national rankings
- Garden Grove High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 199 in California, No. 1,260 in national rankings
- Bolsa Grande High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 226 in California, No. 1,504 in national rankings
- Cypress High School, Anaheim Union High School District; No. 235 in California, No. 1,565 in national rankings
- Samueli Academy, a charter school in Santa Ana; No. 237 in California, No. 1,589 in national rankings
- John F. Kennedy High School, Anaheim Union High School District; No. 242 in California, No. 1,644 in national rankings
- El Dorado High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District; No. 246 in California, No. 1,665 in national rankings
- Huntington Beach High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 256 in California, No. 1,738 in national rankings
- Laguna Hills High School, Saddleback Valley Unified School District; No. 257 in California, No. 1,740 in national rankings
- Westminster High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 267 in California, No. 1,792 in national rankings
- Sonora High School; Fullerton Joint Union High School District; No. 285 in California, No. 1,953 in national rankings
- Edison High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 292 in California, No. 1,965 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.