The Riverside Stem Academy in Riverside, California, was ranked the top high school in the state this year by U.S. News & World Report.
The yearly study reviews about 25,000 U.S. public high schools, and 1,650 California schools made this year’s rankings, according to the study released Nov. 22. Schools in the study were ranked on students’ performance on state-required tests, graduation rates, and preparedness for college.
The Riverside school, located about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, teaches about 660 students and serves grades five through 12, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math. It opened in 2011.
The public academy, which is also ranked No. 10 overall in the U.S., is one of 12 high schools in the Riverside Unified School District.
“Riverside Stem Academy is ranked first within California,” according to the U.S. News & World Report survey. The school boasts an Advanced Placement participation rate of 98 percent.
Minorities make up three-fourths of the enrollment and nearly half of the school’s students are “economically disadvantaged,” the publication reported. About 250 of the students are enrolled in high school at the academy, which has a ratio of 27 students for every teacher.
The students use technology daily and at home, with a curriculum emphasizing research, project-based learning, and design, according to the school’s website.
According to state test scores, 82 percent of Riverside Stem Academy students were proficient in math and 87 percent were proficient in reading.
Overall, high schools in its district averaged 63 percent proficiency in reading and 33 percent in math.
The school also has a 100 percent graduation rate, and 94 percent of students are “college ready,” according to the survey.
Riverside Stem Academy ranked No. 1 in state testing nationally and in California. It also ranked No. 5 in the state for college readiness and No. 81 in the U.S., the study found.
Before graduating from a California high school, students are required to finish a minimum of 13 state-mandated courses, including three years of English, two years of math, and two years of science.
Students in California are tested in English language arts and math using the Smarter Balanced assessments, a computer-based test to measure achievement.
The top 10 high schools in the state this year are:
- Riverside Stem Academy in Riverside
- Whitney High School in Cerritos
- Science Academy Stem Magnet in North Hollywood
- Oxford Academy in Cypress
- California Academy of Mathematics and Science in Carson
- Harbor Teacher Preparation Academy in Wilmington
- Lowell High School in San Francisco
- Pacific Collegiate Charter in Santa Cruz
- Lynbrook High School in San Jose
- Dr. T.J. Owens Gilroy Early College Academy in Gilroy
