Details about this story

• Source: Orange County Register
• Date: May 30, 2008
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Eric Carpenter , Fermin Leal , Scott Martindale
• Topics: Education
• Data Types: Local Data
• Description/Excerpt: Oxford, a magnet school for Anaheim Union, tops the Register's "Orange County's Best High Schools," a first-ever ranking of the county's comprehensive public high schools. After Oxford, the other campuses making the top 10 in order are: Troy High in Fullerton, University High in Irvine, Middle College High in Santa Ana, Irvine High, Orange County High School of the Arts in Santa Ana, La Quinta High in Westminster, Cypress High, and Woodbridge High and Northwood High, both in Irvine. The Register's ranking is similar to those done yearly by U.S. News and World Report and Newsweek magazines. Those magazines primarily look at college preparation data and how students perform on standardized tests across different ethnic and socio-economic groups. The Register looked at that data, but also incorporated about two dozen other measures ranging from vocational education and graduation figures, to the strength of music and arts programs, and even how far sports teams advanced in CIF playoffs. Standardized test scores, specifically the state's Academic Performance Index, carried the most weight in the Register's ranking.
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