Magazine applauds Calabasas High

U.S. News and World Report identified several local high schools among the nation's top performing schools in its second annual survey of "America's Best High Schools."

Calabasas, Westlake and Thousand Oaks high schools, as well as Santa Susana High School in Simi Valley, each earned a Silver award after meeting criteria developed by School Evaluation Services, an education data research business, and SchoolMatters, a website which helps parents research schools.

The list recognized more than 1,900 schools in 48 states, They earned Gold, Silver and Bronze recognition based on standardized test performance and the proficiency rates of students.

"This is the first time the Las Virgenes Unified School District has made this list," said Calabasas High School Principal C.J. Foss. "It is a huge honor because it is based on criteria that I think really matters. It is based on students' readiness for college and how they perform when they get to college. And prepping students for college is our mission No. 1."

Steve Lepire, assistant principal of instruction at Westlake High, said the honor is a "reflection of the hard work our teachers put in every day and the overall success of the students at the school." He said the Gold medal award-winning schools comprise many private, magnet and charter schools.

"At Westlake, the population is diverse, which makes the achievement even more of a success," Lepire said. "We are obviously very excited about the honor."

At Calabasas High, 40 percent of students take at least one AP exam during high school and achieve an 82 percent passing rate.

At Westlake High, LePire said the school administered about 1,600 AP tests last year, and described the school's passing rate of 77 percent as "phenomenal."