Cerritos Has Top-Rated High School in California -- Again

CERRITOS, CA - Whitney High School in Cerritos is, again, ranked as the best public high school in the state, according to rankings released Tuesday by U.S. News & World Report.

In all, 10 high schools in California were rank in the top 100 nationwide and an impressive 84 schools fall within the top 500.

The report includes information about curriculum, test scores and student demographics.

The campus in the ABC Unified School District ranked 19th nationally. The publication commended the school's 100 percent graduation rate and its variety of honors and Advanced Placement courses, along with a 25-1 student- teacher ratio and a college readiness index of 86.6 percent.

The rankings were based on language and math proficiency tests; whether black, Hispanic and low-income students performed better than their peers in their states; and, for the first time, graduation rates.

"A high school education is imperative for success in both college and a career, and a school's graduation rate is a key indicator of whether students are being effectively prepared for both paths," said Anita Narayan, managing editor of education at U.S. News. "The 2016 Best High Schools rankings provide students and parents with data-driven information on public schools to help them make better-informed decisions about their education."

The college readiness index was based on the percentage of students who participated in advanced placement or international baccalaureate programs.

U.S. News & World Report ranked the School for the Talented and Gifted in Dallas as tops in the U.S. for the fifth year in a row.

--City News Service and Patch Editor Renee Schiavone contributed to this report