Santa Su High recognized by U.S. News and World Report
By Sophia Fischer sfischer@theacorn.com

FILE PHOTO NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED- Simi Valley's Santa Susana High School was one of 405 public high schools to receive a silver ranking from U.S. News and World Report.

Several local high schools have been recognized as the best in the country, according to the latest ranking by U.S. News and World Report.

Out of nearly 19,000 public high schools analyzed by the magazine, Oak Park, Westlake, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Newbury Park and Santa Susana High in Simi Valley were among 405 schools to earn a silver ranking.

The top 100 schools were named gold medal winners and 1,086 received bronze awards.

The magazine published the findings of its first-ever high school ranking list in the Nov. 30 issue. The ranking process took two years using an in-depth methodology developed by a K12 education data research business.

"To be named one of 405 silver medal schools out of over 18,000 public high schools in the United States is a testament to the high quality of the program that we offer," said Oak Park Unified School District Superintendent Tony Knight.

In California, 116 schools earned gold or silver awards, including 23 gold medals. Two state schools made it into the top 10: Pacific Collegiate Charter in Santa Cruz at second place and Preuss School UCSD in La Jolla at 10th place.

In Los Angeles County, the highest ranked school was Gretchen Whitney High in Cerritos, listed at No. 12. The closest school to the Conejo Valley to make the top 100 was Malibu High at 98. No Ventura County schools earned a gold medal.

The top school in the nation was Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Fairfax County, Va., a suburb of Washington, D.C. Its curriculum includes studying artificial intelligence and advanced optics, building satellites complete with web interface and voice digitizer, with the support of area technology firms and government and university groups.

An application process is required to attend the school. From several thousand applicants, only 500 are chosen, based on test grades.

Thomas Jefferson students score an average of 2,155 on the SAT; 158 seniors in the class of 2007 were named National Merit semifinalists- more than any other school. Students participate in 25 varsity sports and can choose from 85 clubs that range in focus from investments to neuroscience.

Schools from 40 states were included in the magazine's study, representing more than 88 percent of all high schools in the country for the 2005-06 school year.

Ten states and the District of Columbia were not included due to lack of data provided for the study.