San Luis Obispo High School is the best public high school in San Luis Obispo County, according to a recent ranking by U.S. News & World Report.
The media organization ranked a total of 17,655 schools nationwide, assigning them percentile scores based on factors that include college readiness, curriculum and graduation rates. A total of 1,652 California schools were ranked.
San Luis Obispo County schools varied widely in their rankings, with San Luis Obispo High coming in at the top for the area but ranking as No. 161 in the state and No. 1,210 in the United States, according to the U.S. News data.
The next-highest-ranking schools in San Luis Obispo County were Coast Union High School at No. 200 in the state and No. 1,458 in the nation and Templeton High School at No. 480 in the state and No. 3,528 in the United States.
That was followed by (in order) Morro Bay High School, Arroyo Grande High School, Central Coast New Tech High School, Nipomo High School, Paso Robles High School and Atascadero High School.
How did US News & World Report come up with rankings?
U.S. News & World Report ranked high schools across the United States based on the following six factors:
- College readiness
- State assessment proficiency
- State assessment performance
- Underserved student performance
- College curriculum breadth
- Graduation rate
“Using this methodology, schools earned an overall percentile score between 0 and 100 at two decimal places,” the site said.
U.S. News drew on data on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams from the College Board and International Baccalaureate.
Individual states provided state assessment data and graduation rates, while other data came from the U.S. Department of Education Common Core of Data.
U.S. News & World Report said it works with RTI International, a nonprofit social science research firm, to assess and rank public high schools across the country, and produce rankings of charter schools and magnet schools.
How did SLO County high schools compare?
The study compared graduation rates, college readiness, enrollment and student-to-teacher ratios at all of San Luis Obispo County’s public schools.
Both Coast Union in Cambria and Central Coast New Tech in Nipomo reported perfect 100% graduation rates, followed by Templeton (98%), San Luis Obispo and Nipomo (97%), Morro Bay and Arroyo Grande (96%), Atascadero (93%) and Paso Robles (91%).
Students at Coast Union were also the most prepared for college, with a readiness score of 50.5, according to the rankings. The college readiness score was based upon the number of 12th-grade students who took and passed at least one AP exam.
San Luis Obispo ranked next with a score of 46.7, followed by Arroyo Grande (38.1), Templeton (34.4), Morro Bay (22.3), Nipomo (22), Paso Robles (21.3) and Atascadero (19.4).
Central Coast New Tech did not have a listed college readiness score because the school itself does not offer AP classes.
The rankings also took into consideration student-to-teacher ratios.
Coast Union, with a total enrollment of 149, had by far the smallest ratio, with nine students to every one teacher. The next smallest school, Central Coast New Tech (267 students) had a student-to-teacher ratio of 17-to-1, followed by Morro Bay (18-1), Nipomo and Atascadero (19-1), Arroyo Grande (20-1), San Luis Obispo and Templeton (21-1) and Paso Robles (22-1).
Beside these factors, the U.S. News rankings also considered students’ math, reading and science proficiency.
For more information on how local schools, including continuation schools and alternative education programs, performed, visit usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/california/rankings/san-luis-obispo-ca-42020.
What are the best public high schools in California?
These are the top 10 public high schools in California, according to U.S. News & World Report:
- 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 Academy College in Gilroy
This story was originally published April 25, 2024 9:00 AM.
