By Toi Creel
Samohi has been named one of the best high schools in the country.
According to a recent report ranking the best high schools in the United States by U.S. News and World Report, Santa Monica High School (Samohi) came in at #708 in the country. Nearly 20,000 schools were ranked on the list.
In addition, Samohi was named #98 in California high schools and #41 in Los Angeles Metro Area high schools.
Among highlights behind Samohi’s ranking including an AP participation rate of 70 percent. The report also gave high marks to the school for its College Curriculum Breadth Index Rank of #496 nationwide. This shows the proportions of 12th graders who took and passed AP and IB exams in multiple areas. Samohi also ranked #659 nationwide in the report’s College Readiness Index Rank, showing the proportions of 12th graders who took and passed at least one AP or IB exam.
In addition, the report noted the total minority enrollment is 60 percent, and 27 percent of students are economically disadvantaged.
The rankings were based on six factors surrounding academic performance including college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates. The data was taken from the 2018-2019 academic school year, therefore excluding data from the schoolyear rattled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
