Preuss School UC San Diego Ranked Region’s Top High School for Third Year

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The Preuss School UC San Diego has been named the top high school in San Diego County for the third year in a row by U.S. News and World Report in the publication’s annual list of “Best High Schools.” Preuss was also ranked the #7 school in the State of California. U.S. News ranks schools based on students’ performance on state-required tests, graduation rates and how well they prepare students for college.The U.S. News rankings include data on more than 23,000 public high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Located on the campus of the University of California San Diego, The Preuss School is a charter middle and high school for low-income students who strive to become the first in their families to graduate from college.

“We are so proud that The Preuss School has been recognized, once again, as the top school in San Diego County,” said Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla. “At Preuss, we have made a promise to provide low-income, first-generation students from across San Diego with the opportunity to immerse themselves in a college-bound culture that fosters success and creates leaders who will change our world.”

The Preuss School was also ranked the 58th best school in the U.S. (up from #76 last year), and the 14th best charter school in the nation (up from 25th last year).

“It is an incredible honor to be ranked as San Diego’s top high school for three years running,” said Scott Barton, principal of The Preuss School. “We are so proud that nearly 100 percent of our students go on to higher education. Our goal is to provide our students with the skills necessary to succeed in college, and ultimately, transform their communities here in San Diego, and beyond.”

Preuss is consistently recognized among the best high schools in the U.S. It was named the nation’s most transformative high school by Newsweek three years in a row. In addition to nearly all of Preuss’ students attending some form or higher education, its graduates are accepted to four-year colleges and universities at a rate of more than 90 percent.

The Preuss School is chartered by the San Diego Unified School District and operated by UC San Diego. More than 800 students come from throughout San Diego County to participate in a single-track college preparatory curriculum and take advantage of an array of academic supports including tutoring, mentoring and counseling.

A key tenet of the Preuss model is its commitment to longer learning time. Preuss students are in school longer each day and for 18 more days a year than the typical student in California, which adds up to almost an entire extra academic year over the course of their middle and high school careers. The cost of these extra days of instruction is not covered by the state and is funded, in part, by private support.

More information on U.S. News & World Report’s “Best High Schools can be found here. For more on The Preuss School, click here.