We’re #1 in California!
by Riyan Khadka and Aiden Nater
The Science Academy STEM Magnet is now the #1 high school in California and the 10th best in the entire nation, according to a U.S. News and World Report ranking of over 18,000 public high schools. U.S. News has been rating schools across the United States since 1983, and its yearly rankings list is one of the most influential in education.
There are several reasons why The Science Academy, a well-regarded magnet school serving grades 6 - 12 in North Hollywood with a campus shared with East Valley High School, was awarded this ranking. It is based on factors that include the college readiness index, college curriculum breadth index, state assessment proficiency rank, the state assessment performance rank, and the graduation rate. (Find out more about the U.S. News methodology here)
The courses at The Science Academy are high level, with 100% Advanced Placement participation, 100% graduation rate, and an average of a 3.84 GPA schoolwide. Our school has been honored to receive several awards in the past and has been decorated with a Platinum Recognition from the College Board, as well as having been selected as a California Distinguished School in 2023 and a California Gold Ribbon School in 2017, in addition to many honors for its various STEM programs. In the 2026-2027 school year, 426 students applied through LAUSD’s CHOICES for only 84 spots.
This extraordinary ranking, which is the first time an LAUSD school was selected by U.S. News as the best public high school in California, was featured on ABC 7, who interviewed our principal Joshua Rosenthal and several students to learn about the reaction and how our school was able to achieve this ranking.
Additionally, Mr. Rosenthal was gracious enough to answer some of our questions:
Q: What do you think led to our school being selected for this honor?
A: The metrics used by U.S. News and World Report are state test scores, graduation rates, number of students taking AP courses and college courses.
Q: How do you think this recognition will affect the school, its staff, and the students?
A: The attention that this ranking brings provides a form of validation that we are actually providing a top-notch educational program.
Q: What do you think the school could still improve on?
A: I would like to see us provide more hands-on, collegiate, laboratory-type experiences for students who wish to explore a passion in a specific field of science.
Q: What should we as a school do next to maintain this achievement?
A: We do not want to focus on rankings, but rather on improving the overall experience of our students over the entirety of their seven-year journey. This includes, but is not limited to, improving the quality of enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities, partnerships, internships, etc.
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“The grades all want to support each other, we all want to strive to meet that goal,” says Aiden Khan, a freshman at The Science Academy in the ABC 7 report, “and that is what allows our school to perform.” After receiving the ranking, Kelly Gonez, an LAUSD board member, came to our school during an assembly and congratulated the students, teachers and staff on their hard work. In addition, the school’s parent organisation, SciFI, handed out cupcakes and commemorative pins to celebrate. The Science Academy is a school built by exceptional students and exceptional faculty - great job, everyone!