SMMUSD ranked among top public school districts in California
By Auden Koetters, Staff Writer
On Thursday, Oct. 15, a statement released by SMMUSD announced the district’s placement as seventh overall in Los Angeles County and 19th overall in California. These rankings were included in a recent poll conducted by an academic ranking service, Niche, which reported the 2021 Best School Districts across the country. The Niche rankings are based on an in-depth analysis of key statistics such as state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT and ACT scores, teacher quality and reviews from both students and parents.
“We are honoured to be recognized for the extraordinary achievements of our students and teachers. We are dedicated to providing the education and support all students need for success as they embark on college and career, in order to lead meaningful, engaged lives beyond our halls,” SMMUSD Superintendent Ben Drati said in the district press release.
Each school was additionally given an alphabetic score which is indicative of the school’s academics, diversity, college prep, teachers, clubs/activities, administration, sports, resources/facilities, food and health/safety. The district’s two comprehensive high schools, Santa Monica High School and Malibu High School, were awarded an A+ and A respectively. John Adams Middle School, Lincoln Middle School and SMASH Middle School all received an A or A+, and all SMMUSD elementary schools earned an A- or above.
The report also included high English and math proficiency rates that are above county and state averages at both Santa Monica High School and Malibu High School. These averages were accompanied by graduation rates that fall above the 90-percentile range from both the highschools. The SMMUSD district claims that these scores come as a result of the two high schools offering comprehensive college and career counselling, maintaining acclaimed visual and performing arts programs, high student participation in clubs and extracurricular activities and support of a diverse academic curriculum.
Santa Monica High School principle Antonio Shelton said that districts placement reflects the diverse opportunities provided to SMMUSD students. The district has a wide variety of offerings, that span from AP courses to music classes to athletics; Shelton feels this range encompasses what the district demonstrates as success.
“I think what we try to do is look at what our offerings are, as far as academics are concerned, what our offerings are, as far as music, theatre, and the arts, and see how we can grow those programs to support the needs of our students,” Shelton said.
Looking towards the future SMMUSD hopes to continue their climb to the top by focusing on students and their needs. Shelton said he hopes the district continues analyzing data about its students so as to better understand what ideas to implement in order to lead to the success of the student body as a whole.
Featured art by Isabella Rodriguez, Staff Writer