Newsweek Names The Preuss School UCSD Top Transformative High School in the Nation

Preuss is also first in San Diego County and third in California

June 21, 2011

Kim Wenrick

Students at The Preuss School UCSD come from 41 different zip codes in San Diego County, but have one common goal - to go to college.

The Preuss School UCSD, a unique charter middle and high school for low income, highly motivated students from throughout San Diego County, has been named the top transformative school in the country, lauded for producing high achieving graduates despite limited resources. In the annual Newsweek magazine “America’s Best High Schools” list, published today, Preuss is ranked at the top of all San Diego County high schools and third in the state. It is ranked 34th overall in the nation. The magazine used a different methodology this year, incorporating six components—including graduation rate, college matriculation rate and AP tests taken—to determine placement on the list.

“Preuss graduates are remarkable young people who rise above countless obstacles to become the first generation in their families who will receive a college education,” said Scott Barton, principal of The Preuss School UCSD. “Our students participate in a rigorous, single-track college preparatory curriculum, as well as a wealth of extracurricular activities, and can take advantage of an array of academic supports from tutoring to mentoring and counseling.”

Ninety-five percent of the class of 2011 has been accepted to four-year colleges or universities and all 97 seniors in the class will attend either college or community college. Eighty-one percent of the class was accepted to at least one UC campus and six seniors will attend UC San Diego. Preuss will be represented at all nine of the undergraduate UC campuses by 30 seniors in all. Other top colleges such as Harvard, Georgetown, Duke and Johns Hopkins are also among the choices for this year’s Preuss grads.

The Preuss School UCSD will celebrate graduation at 4 p.m., Thursday, June 30 at the school’s Manchester Field. With 802 students in grades 6-12, Preuss has an exemplary Academic Performance Index Score (API) of 885, one of the highest in the county. Preuss (http://preuss.ucsd.edu) has been consistently ranked as one of America’s best high schools by Newsweek, the Washington Post and U.S. News and World Report. The school, located on the UC San Diego campus, is jointly chartered by UC San Diego and the San Diego Unified School District.

Media Contacts: Kim Wenrick, kwenrick@ucsd.edu, 858-534-4132