Report: Malibu High Ranked in Top 60 Among California Schools

Malibu High School is the 52nd best high school in California and the 265th best in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report.

The rankings were released Tuesday in the publication's 2012 Best High School rankings. It was not immediately clear how many California schools were included in the rankings.

Principal Mark Kelly said he was proud of the students, staff and teachers for the ranking.

"It’s very nice to have that recognition and be ranked as high as we are," Kelly told Malibu Patch.

The annual list ranks schools based on student performance on standardized tests as well as student participation in Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. MHS was analyzed alongside 22,000 public high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia.

U.S. News says it partnered with the Washington, D.C.-based American Institutes for Research in developing the ranking methodology.

In addition U.S. News awarded more than 4,850 gold, silver, and bronze medals to the top-performing schools.

Malibu High School won gold for its high level of student performance.

According to the report, the AP exam participation rate at Malibu High School is 71 percent, helping it reach 55 on the College Readiness Index. With 1,243 students and 57 teachers, the high school maintains a 22:1 student to teacher ratio.

Kelly added that Malibu High School has a fairly open policy on which students can take advanced courses.

"We do try to encourage students to take advanced course work. We want to see themselves as wanting to go college and to have different opportunities after high school," Kelly said.