Rankings of America’s best high schools released this week by U.S. News and World Report include six schools within Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD), an all-time high for the district.
The California Academy of Mathematics and Science (CAMS) earned a gold medal, while five other high schools earned silver.
The U.S. News rankings include data on more than 21,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Schools were awarded gold, silver or bronze medals based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.
In the rankings, only the top 2.4 percent earned gold medals, and only 9.7 percent won silver.
To determine the rankings, schools were first analyzed on how well their students performed on state assessments, taking into account the test scores of disadvantaged students. High schools that made it through this analysis were then eligible to be ranked nationally in terms of college readiness, using advanced-placement or international baccalaureate test data as the benchmarks for success.
Local schools and their rankings are:
CAMS (gold)— state ranking of 19; national ranking of 125
Avalon (silver)— state ranking of 151; national ranking of 799
Wilson (silver)— state ranking of 228; national ranking of 1,130
Millikan (silver)— state ranking of 291; national ranking of 1,417
Renaissance (silver)— state ranking of 297; national ranking of 1,431
Poly (silver)— state ranking of 393; national ranking of 1,812
Source: LBUSD
