Newsweek magazine recently named Point Loma High School one of the nation’s top 1,200 public high schools, joining a list of 14 other San Diego City Schools. PLHS is ranked in the top 30 percent of public schools, coming in at number 464.
The schools were honored for doing an excellent job in preparing students for college by offering college-level curriculum. The ranking was determined by dividing the number of Advanced Placement (AP) tests and International Baccalaureate (IB) tests taken at a school in 2005 by the number of graduating seniors.
Also on the list are La Jolla High School (143), San Diego High School of International Studies (22), and Mission Bay High School (502).
“It’s an honor to be recognized,” Bobbie Samilson, principal of Point Loma High School, said. “We work really hard to make our students prepared for college and their careers and work.”
Despite the fact that PLHS does not offer any IB tests, they made the list on their AP testing alone.
“We try to offer opportunities for all students; this is just one way you get recognized,” Samilson said. “We want to offer many advanced classes for our students, at the same time offer supporting classes for students who need that. As a large comprehensive high school our goal is to really help all students be successful.”
PLHS offers a variety of AP classes including art history, music theory, chemistry and French and Spanish literature. They also offer a variety of college courses that are not AP level but beyond the average high school level. They also offer an academy in international business and technology, which acts as a separate school within PLHS, similar to the separate college departments at universities and other institutions of undergraduate education, Samilson said.
“These are opportunities for students to experience college course work and to build confidence for their future,” Samilson said. “In being recognized we hope that people will see that Point Loma is doing great things.”