Newsweek Ranks Cal High Among Top 500 High Schools

landed right in the middle of Newsweek's annual ranking of the top 500 high schools in the United States.

The San Ramon school came in 250th – the highest in its history. Cal High was the only school in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District and one of 53 in California to make the list.

"We're so excited," said Principal Mark Corti. "It's just a testament to all the hard work we put in and the students put in."

The San Ramon school got an overall score of 0.443 from the magazine. Newsweek has ranked U.S. schools for more than a decade.

"It's a great accomplishment," said district spokesman Terry Koehne. "Another feather in the cap for Cal High."

Cal High students scored an average of 1692 on the SAT and took 0.8 AP tests in the 2010-11 school year, according to Newsweek. The school's student-to-teacher ration is 30:1 and its graduation rate is 99 percent. Of those who graduate, 97 percent are college-bound.

Corti gave credit to his students for the achievement.

"They're driven, they have a sense of urgency, they just have a plan for their future," said Corti, the principal there for 12 years. "They're already starting to look at possible career options."

Newsweek ranked the schools based on six components (in order of importance), according to its website: Graduation rate, college matriculation rate, AP tests taken per graduate, average SAT/ACT scores, average AP scores and AP courses offered.

Other area schools on the list include San Francisco's George Washington High at number 497, Piedmont High at 83 and Henry M. Gumm High at 42. The highest-ranking California school was University High in Irvine, which ranked eighth in the nation.

Cal High in San Ramon has consistently won top honors for its academics over the years, Corti noted. In the 2006-07 school year, it won the highest honor for an American school: A Blue Ribbon School Award of Excellence from the U.S. Department of Education.

The other three high schools in the district – San Ramon Valley, Monte Vista and Dougherty Valley high schools – have graduation rates and college matriculation rates similar to Cal High's, Koehne noted.

Like other schools in the district, Corti said Cal High has a tradition of implementing innovative curriculum, like its award-winning engineering program, which sparks in students an interest in higher learning.

The school prides itself on the variety of Advanced Placement courses it offers.

Students families have also offered generous financial support over the years, Corti added.

"I think that what's special about Cal High is that we provide a tremendous opportunities for students," Corti said.