21 Poway Unified Schools Rank High in California

Sixteen of 25 elementary schools, half of the six middle schools and two of the four high schools in the Poway Unified School District were rated among the top 10 percent of schools statewide, according to public school rankings released Thursday by the state Department of Education.

The state ranks schools academically on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the top 10 percent, to determine a school’s standing compared to other schools statewide. The rankings are based on the school’s base Academic Performance Index, which is calculated for elementary, middle and high schools based on results of the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program and California High School Exit Exam.

Because of the nature of the system, 10 percent of schools statewide will always be in each decile. Where a school falls changes over the years as schools improve their scores.

The state also released base API scores for districts today. The target API score set by the state Department of Education is 800. The API score, which shows how each school is performing academically in comparison to other schools, ranges from a low of 200 to a high of 1,000. The statewide base API was 768, according to the state. The base for elementary schools was 800, while it was 765 for middle schools and 729 for high schools.

Statewide, the base API was 838 for white students, 851 for Filipinos and 890 for Asians. The API was 686 for black students, 715 for Hispanics, 692 for English-learners and 712 for financially disadvantaged students.

City News Service contributed to this report.