By Niki Cervantes
Staff Writer

April 26, 2016 -- Santa Monica High School and Malibu High School scored high grades among California public high schools in a new ranking by U.S. News and World Report.

Malibu High School achieved the level of gold in the news organization’s 2016 rankings for California, holding the 53rd spot among the state's 2,399 public high schools in 537 school districts.

Samohi was ranked 112th on the list, which earned it a silver medal statewide.

“This recognition by a highly respected publication illustrates that our stellar teachers, staff and leaders are truly supporting and preparing our students for college and career,” said Sandra Lyon, superintendent of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District.

“We congratulate each school site team and our students for their hard work, dedication and forward-thinking.”

Whitney High School in Cerritos was the top high school on the California list. Admission is selective, though, and restricted primarily to the highest student achievers. It has an enrollment of just over 1,000 students.

Among the other top-ranked high schools in the state were Stockton Collegiate International Secondary and several public high schools that were specifically geared for college preparation.

A Dallas public high school for the gifted and talented earned the top ranking nationwide.

To create the rankings, U.S. News evaluated overall student performance on state-mandated tests, graduation rates and how well students were prepared for college or university educations.

But a key measure was also how well high schools served all students, not just though bound for higher education, U.S. News and World Report said in releasing its findings. It looked at 19,908 public high schools nationwide with enrollment large enough to be analyzed.

Nationally, Malibu High ranked 351, with Santa Monica ranking 692.

Although their rankings were far apart, both schools moved up from last year’s list. In 2015, Malibu ranked 68th in the state and 360th in the country, while, Samohi took the 147th spot in the state and ranked 788 in the nation.

Olympic High School, a SMMUSD continuation school, was not included in the rankings.