NEWSWEEK Honors a Dozen San Diego High Schools as Among "America's Best"

Among the best high schools in the United States, 12 are part of the San Diego Unified School District, Newsweek Magazine announced in this week's issue.

Preuss UCSD charter high school received top honors, placing 16th on the list, while the School of International Studies at San Diego High School placed 89; in San Diego County, only San Diego Unified has schools in Newsweek's top 100.

The schools are honored for doing the best job of preparing average students for college by offering rigorous curriculum. Scores are determined by dividing the number of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) tests taken at a school by the number of graduating seniors.

The 2010 list (as of June 15): Preuss UCSD, 16; School of International Studies at San Diego High, 89; University City, 308; Pt. Loma, 331; La Jolla, 327; Henry, 459; Scripps Ranch, 536; Mira Mesa, 544; Serra, 633; Clairemont, 1,078; Lincoln, 1521; Crawford Community Health and Medical Practices (CHAMPS), 1,587. Newsweek estimates that there are nearly 30,000 high schools in the US.

"This is an outstanding achievement for our students, our teachers and administrators, and our schools," said Bill Kowba, Interim Superintendent. "Excellence in education, no matter the challenges, is what's important."

For the complete list, go to http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/americas-best-high-schools.html