GUSD High Schools Ranked Among Nation’s Best by U.S. News & World Report

All four of the Glendale Unified School District’s comprehensive high schools rank among the nation’s best, according to the U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best High Schools ranking. Each ranked in the top 16% of the more than 24,000 schools that were evaluated.Clark Magnet High was the top GUSD representative, ranking in the top 2% nationally. Crescenta Valley High was in the top 4%, Hoover High ranked among the top 10%, and Glendale High was in the top 16%.
“The highest-ranked schools are those whose students excelled on state tests and performed beyond expectations; participated in and passed a variety of college-level exams; and graduated in high proportions,” according to U.S. News & World Report rankings methodology.
The rankings include data on public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. The high schools were ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college.

“Glendale Unified is a dynamic, high-performing school district,” said Glendale Unified Superintendent Dr. Vivian Ekchian. “Our talented teachers, classified staff and administrators work tirelessly alongside our parents and community to prepare every student for success in college, career and life.”
With a 100% graduation rate, Clark Magnet School led the district’s institutions, finishing in the top 2% of the nation’s schools and No. 65 in the state of California.
“We are so impressed with our students’ performance that has resulted in a jump in the state rankings

by almost 20 spots and nationwide by almost 100 over last year,” said principal Lena Kortoshian. “This validates the hard work of our teachers, counselors, staff and the support of our parents to ensure Clark students achieve at high levels.”
Crescenta Valley High School ranked 142nd in the state, with an impressive 96% of its more than 2,600 students receiving diplomas.
“Especially now, as we work on the uphill learning curve of the transition to distance learning, this award validates the professional commitment of our staff and lifts the spirits,” said Crescenta Valley High School principal Linda Junge.

Hoover High School jumped 3,000 spots from the previous rankings, from 5,494 in the nation a year ago to 2,475 in the 2020 study, receiving a score of 86 out of a possible 100.
“The Hoover faculty, staff and community is committed to offering our students a wide range of opportunities so that they can achieve their goals,” principal Jennifer Earl told the News-Press. “This honor is a celebration of our efforts to provide the best for Hoover students, who continue to inspire us with their accomplishments.”
A solid 88% graduation rate and proficiency score of 78 out of 100 placed Glendale in the top 16% of the nation’s high schools.

“Glendale High School is proud to be ranked as one of U.S News and World Report’s top high schools in America,” said principal Ben Wolf. “This is a testament to our teachers and to our students who work hard to be successful every day.”
The schools were ranked on six factors based on their performance on state assessments and how well they prepare students for college, including college readiness (which accounts for 30% of the final grade). This figure represents the proportions of 12th graders who took and passed at least one AP or IB exam. Other factors considered are math and reading proficiency (20% of final score); math and reading performance (20%); underserved student performance (10%); college curriculum breadth (10%); and graduation rate, which is worth 10% of the final score and evaluates the proportion of entering 9th graders who graduated four academic years later.