High schools ranked for Southern California

LOS ANGELES – A college preparatory high school in Cypress is the highest-ranking Southern California school in Newsweek magazine’s compilation of 1,600 top American schools.

Oxford Academy, a magnet school that requires all of its students to take “a comprehensive honors curriculum,” including at least five college-level classes, was ranked 11th on the annual list.

The school, run by the Anaheim Union High School District, requires its students to choose either a business or biotechnology/medical curriculum pathway during 10th grade.

Four Los Angeles Unified School District campuses were among the top 200 schools, Newsweek announced today on its Web site.

Other Southern California schools ranking in the top 200 were:

• Preuss School UCSD in La Jolla, ranked 16th;

• Troy High School, Fullerton, 53;

• Van Nuys High School, 55;

• Los Angeles Center For Enriched Studies, 64;

• San Diego High School for International Studies, 89;

• Animo Venice Charter School, 103;

• Torrey Pines High School, San Diego, 124;

• University High School, Irvine, 146;

• North Hollywood High School, 149;

• Hawthorne Math and Science Academy, 163;

• Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, Rolling Hills Estates, 178;

• Cerritos High School, 181;

• Corona del Mar High School, 187; and

• Canyon Crest High School, Encinitas, 197.

Newsweek compiles the annual list based on the number of Advanced Placement classes, and on standardized test scores.