Walnut Valley Makes Newsweek’s Top HS List

Photo Courtesy: WVUSD Diamond Bar High School has been named No. 77 in Newsweek's “America’s Top High Schools 2015” list.

Photo Courtesy: WVUSD
Diamond Bar High School has been named No. 77 in Newsweek’s “America’s Top High Schools 2015” list.

By Kelli Gile

Walnut – Two Walnut Valley schools made the list of “America’s Top High Schools 2015,” released by Newsweek on Aug. 19.

The newsmagazine ranked Diamond Bar and Walnut high schools in its list of the top 500 public high schools nationwide.  The rankings are intended to identify high schools that have the highest performance on state tests and best prepare students for college, according to Newsweek.

Diamond Bar High School (DBHS) scored in the top 100, ranking the 77th best high school in the nation and 8th in California.

Walnut High School (WHS) also ranked an impressive 148th in America and 20th in California.

In addition, both schools received gold stars in an equity analysis that indicates economically disadvantaged students performed at or above average on state assessments.

“We are always proud of our high schools and the work that is done to provide our students with exceptional learning opportunities,” said Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor. “Our success is a team effort that includes exceptional teachers and staff, strong commitments from our students, and outstanding parent support.”

The Newsweek list identifies the top 500 schools by measuring several factors, including graduation rate, college enrollment rate, SAT and ACT scores, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams, ratio of counselors to students, and state test scores.

DBHS received a college readiness score of 85.4 on Newsweek’s ranking criteria. The school has a graduation rate of 100% and a college enrollment rate of 97.2%. The average SAT exam score at the school is 1742 and the average AP exam score is 3.7.

WHS has a college readiness score of 82.6, a graduation rate of 100%, and a college enrollment rate of 94.0%. The average SAT exam score at the school is 1696.  Additionally, the average AP exam score is 3.8.

“Our college readiness index reflects our philosophy of providing access to rigorous academic courses to more and more students, whether that’s in the form of AP and IB courses or access to career tech ed courses, for which students receive college credit while still in high school,” states DBHS Principal, Catherine Real.

See the full report at: http://www.newsweek.com/high-schools/americas-top-high-schools-2015.