California schools place 23 in top 100
SMMUSD HDQTRS Long touted for producing some of the best and brightest students, the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District received another pat on the back recently when one of its high schools was recognized as being among the best secondary schools in the country.
Along with sandy beaches and a scenic coastline, the city of Malibu can call itself home to the 98th best high school in the country after U.S. News & World Report, known for its annual publication of college rankings, named Malibu High School as among the top 100 high schools in the country in its inaugural rankings.
In compiling the rankings, U.S. News & World Report used a formula they developed with School Evaluation Services — a K-12 research firm run by Standard & Poor’s — and evaluated the public schools in three categories: How well the students performed in state-mandated tests; how well the school’s disadvantaged students performed; and how the schools prepared their students for college.
The result earned Malibu High School, which is a middle school and high school, a gold medal — an honor bestowed to the top 100 high schools.
“It’s really exciting to have this acknowledgment,” said Malibu Principal Mark Kelly on Friday. “It’s recognition of work everyone is doing here at Malibu and how hard everyone is working.”
The school was found to exceed the standard in all three categories, earning high marks for state testing, closing the achievement gap between the most and least disadvantage students, and preparing its students well for college. The report found that 66 percent of the senior class at Malibu High School has taken at least one Advanced Placement course while in high school while more than 55 percent has passed at least one AP test.
“It speaks to the very high quality public schools that’s providing opportunities for students and we should all be proud of it,” said Harry Keiley, the president of the Santa Monica-Malibu Classroom Teachers Association.
Part of the school’s success is due to the strong involvement by its parents, helping fund the school programs through monetary donations, volunteering and of course the revenue generated by parcel taxes.
“Parents really care about their school and they do a great job of showing their support for not only the student body but the physical plant of the school itself,” said Oscar de la Torre, the vice president of the Board of Education.
“The ranking itself supports what we already know that the strong partnership between the community and the families and the schools is a formula for success.”
California fared well in the inaugural rankings with 23 of the state’s high schools named to the top 100, about half of which are in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas. Thomas Jefferson High School in Alexandria, Va. topped the list at number one, followed by Pacific Collegiate Charter in Santa Cruz in the second spot.
Santa Monica High School, also believed to be among the top high schools in the country, was not mentioned in the top 100.
Malibu High School was established in 1992. “It’s a time to celebrate and that’s something we don’t do enough of in public education,” Keiley said. “We should be proud of the collective work of teachers and staff at Malibu High School.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 3, 2007. Read the original PDF.