UCSD’s Preuss School has been named the ninth best high school in the nation by Newsweek magazine, making it the only California school ranked in the top 25.
“”It’s a tribute to be recognized in this manner,”” Principal Doris Alvarez said. “”A tribute to the kids, teachers and efforts they all put in.””
Preuss’ achievement is a result of the high number of students taking Advanced Placement courses and passing subsequent AP tests, Alvarez said.
Newsweek composed the ranking by measuring the school’s total number of college-level tests, including AP, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge tests, and dividing it by the number of graduating seniors.
“”A rigorous curriculum makes a good high school,”” Alvarez said. She prioritizes AP courses in her program at Preuss.
Preuss is a middle and high school dedicated to providing tailored college preparatory education for motivated low-income students who will become the first in their families to graduate from college. The school is jointly chartered by the San Diego Unified School District and UCSD.
A.S. President Marco Murillo is a Preuss School graduate and served as Preuss’ Associated Student Body President. He hadn’t planned to participate in student government, but Alvarez encouraged him to get involved, he said in a press release.
“”Working with people, that’s what I really like to do,”” Murillo said.
High school senior Monika Lantarica is Preuss’ current ASB president.
“”Preuss gave me opportunities to apply my time in school and extracurricular activities,”” she said.
Lantarica, who is also an AP Scholar, will be attending USC and is a Gates Millennium Scholarship recipient.
Ninety-six percent of graduating seniors at Preuss were accepted to four-year universities.
“”A dramatic difference between Preuss and other high schools is that our teachers really form relationships with our students,”” Lantarica said. “”I have a deeper interest in subjects because teachers sacrifice extra time to help us grasp the material during tutoring, Saturday school and even lunchtime.””
Alvarez said that working the long hours Preuss requires is a drawback, but that “”the positive outweighs the negative because the students are really focused on academics since the classes have no more than 25 students.””
Preuss students log 74,669 instructional minutes per year compared the state requirement of 64,800, according to the school’s Web site.
Preuss also provides a 198-day school year - rather than the traditional 180 days – and a 396-minute school day, which is 36 minutes longer than average.
“”My AP teachers allow me to delve into subjects more than I would otherwise,”” Lantarica said. “”They take the course material and go above and beyond to make it applicable to life. My AP government teacher was lawyer, and we perform mock trials in class.””
The school has also been awarded National Charter School of the Year by the Center for Education Reform and is the only charter school in the county to be recognized as a 2007 California Distinguished School.
Housed in a $14-million facility on the UCSD campus, Preuss works closely with the college community to provide unique educational opportunities for its students. An average of 150 tutors work with students each quarter.
Preuss opened in 1999 with 150 students in grades six through eight. It currently houses 756 students in six through 12th grades.
