BY KELLI GILE
Diamond Bar High School Class of 2014 Super Star Seniors Steven Gomez, Claire Huang, Jane Wu, and Vrajesh Shah. (Photo Courtesy: Kelli Gile)
Walnut – Walnut Valley Unified School District (WVUSD) is pleased to announce that both Diamond Bar and Walnut high schools have been ranked in the top 100 of all high schools in America, by the Daily Beast publication.
Diamond Bar High School ranked #54 overall in the nation, and #7 in California. They also scored in the top 100 in specific categories of Rigor, Graduation Rates, and ACT/SAT scores.
Walnut High School ranked #97 overall in the nation and #11 in California. They also scored in the top 100 in the specific category of Rigor.
This is a remarkable achievement when considering it’s estimated that there are more than 30,000 public and private high schools across the country. It also appears that WVUSD is the only school district in California with two high schools in the top 100 in the nation.
“This is an incredible achievement for our schools and entire community,” Superintendent Dr. Robert Taylor stated. “It is a reflection of the relentless commitment to student achievement on behalf of our Board of Trustees, staff, students, parents, and community. And, to be what appears as the only school district in California with two high schools ranked in the top 100 nationally is a tribute to the “Kids First” attitude throughout our K-12 community.”
Principals Catherine Real at Diamond Bar High, and Jeff Jordan at Walnut High, received notification of the prestigious national recognition on Wed., Aug. 27.
“Our ranking is a result of our hard work with our students, our excellent staff, our supportive community, and the commitment to responsibly increase access to rigorous courses to a greater number of students,” Real said.
“I am so proud of our Walnut High staff for this accomplishment. It definitely reflects the hard work and dedication that takes place on this campus. Our school has always taken a team approach to do what is best for our students. Both certificated and classified staffs take pride to provide great service to our students,” Jordan said.
The Daily Beast publication uses six indicators taken from school surveys to compare public high schools in the United States, with graduation and college acceptance rates weighed most heavily. Other criteria included college-level courses and exams, percentage of students with free or reduced lunch, and SAT and ACT scores. The full results can be viewed at http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/27/america-s-top-high-schools.html.
