OC campuses are well represented in U.S. News rundown of ‘Best High Schools’

Ian Hanigan

U.S. News released its latest list of the nation’s Best High Schools this week, and it was no surprise to find a lot of Orange County campuses had made the cut.

Oxford Academy in the Anaheim Union High School District once again took the No. 2 spot in California and was ranked No. 19 nationally. U.S. News noted that the Advanced Placement participation rate at Oxford is 100 percent, and 39 percent of its students are considered economically disadvantaged.

U.S. News Best High Schools logoIn all, nine Orange County schools were listed among California’s top 100, and a dozen local campuses placed within the top 1,000 nationwide.

Troy High School in the Fullerton Joint Union High School District was Orange County’s second highest-rated school, ranking 26th in California and 213rd nationally.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia took the No. 1 spot overall.

A number of news outlets have attempted to rank schools over the years, each relying its own research and methodology. U.S. News is probably the most widely known.

The digital news site says it coordinated with North Carolina-based RTI International, a global nonprofit social science research firm, and examined a handful of indicators, including student participation in AP and International Baccalaureate exams, performance on math and reading assessments, the performance rates of underserved populations, and graduation rates.

“The highest-ranked schools are those whose students excelled on state tests and performed beyond expectations; participated in and passed a variety of college-level exams; and graduated in high proportions,” U.S. News said.

The report features a searchable database of more than 24,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Here’s a list of the Orange County schools that we spotted in the top 2,000.

  • Oxford Academy, Anaheim Union High School District; No. 2 in California; No. 19 in national rankings
  • Troy High School, Fullerton Joint Union High School District; No. 26 in California; No. 213 in national rankings
  • Orange County School of the Arts, a charter school in Santa Ana; No. 34 in California; No. 291 in national rankings
  • Arnold O. Beckman High School, Tustin Unified School District; No. 53 in California; No. 416 in national rankings
  • University High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 57 in California; No. 451 in national rankings
  • La Quinta High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 67 in California; No. 515 in national rankings
  • Northwood High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 80 in California; No. 580 in national rankings
  • Corona Del Mar High, Newport-Mesa Unified School District; No. 91 in California; No. 646 in national rankings
  • Woodbridge High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 95 in California; No. 693 in national rankings
  • San Juan Hills High School, Capistrano Unified School District; No. 109 in California; No. 794 in national rankings
  • Fountain Valley High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 114 in California; No. 827 in national rankings
  • Sunny Hills High School, Fullerton Joint Union High School District; No. 136 in California; No. 960 in national rankings
  • Aliso Niguel High School, Capistrano Unified School District; No. 151 in California; No. 1,094 in national rankings
  • Valencia High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District; No. 153 in California; No. 1,102 in national rankings
  • Samueli Academy, Orange County Department of Education; No. 163 in California; No. 1,141 in national rankings
  • Tesoro High School, Capistrano Unified School District; No. 166 in California; No. 1,165 in national rankings
  • Los Alamitos High School, Los Alamitos Unified School District; No. 176 in California; No. 1,254 in national rankings
  • Garden Grove High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 177 in California; No. 1,269 in national rankings
  • Pacifica High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 183 in California; No. 1,312 in national rankings
  • Laguna Beach High School, Laguna Beach Unified School District; No. 185 in California; No. 1,325 in national rankings
  • Nova Academy, Santa Ana Unified School District; No. 186 in California; No. 1,331 in national rankings
  • Huntington Beach High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 212 in California; No. 1,513 in national rankings
  • Edison High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 217 in California; No. 1,535 in national rankings
  • Bolsa Grande High School, Garden Grove Unified School District; No. 219 in California; No. 1,547 in national rankings
  • Westminster High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 220 in California; No. 1,554 in national rankings
  • Cypress High School, Anaheim Union High School District; No. 221 in California; No. 1,566 in national rankings
  • Yorba Linda High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District; No. 222 in California; No. 1,573 in national rankings
  • Foothill High School, Tustin Unified School District; No. 232 in California; No. 1,653 in national rankings
  • Irvine High School, Irvine Unified School District; No. 240 in California; No. 1,723 in national rankings
  • Godinez Fundamental High School, Santa Ana Unified School District; No. 245 in California; No. 1,763 in national rankings
  • Marina High School, Huntington Beach Union High School District; No. 265 in California; No. 1,910 in national rankings
  • El Dorado High School, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District; No. 267 in California; No. 1,913 in national rankings
  • Segerstrom High School, Santa Ana Unified School District; No. 271 in California; No. 1,993 in national rankings

Did we miss any local schools in the top 2,000? Email us at communications@ocde.us.