Three Southern California Schools Make List of Best High Schools

Three Southern California schools earned spots in an annual ranking of the country's top high schools.

The U.S. News and World Report Best High Schools list includes data on about 24,000 public high schools in 50 states. The ranking is based on performance on state assessments and how well the schools prepare students for college.

Click here for the full list of factors used in the rankings.

Below are the three Southern California public high schools in the rankings.

Whitney High School

Rank: No. 1 in California, 14th overall
Located in Cerritos, Gretchen Whitney High School is the top California high school in the U.S. News and World Report rankings. It was lauded for a variety of honor and advanced placement courses that include computer science, physics and foreign language. Admission to the school is selective.

California Academy of Mathematics and Science

Rank: No. 2 in California, 15th overall
This public magnet school in Carson focuses on science and mathematics. Advancement placement coursework and exam opportunities and an AP participation rate of 100 percent are some of the reasons the school made the list. Total minority enrollment is 93 percent with 44 percent of students considered economically disvantaged, the ranking summary notes.

Oxford Academy

Rank: No. 3 in California, 16th overall
Cypress' Oxford Academy offers an intensive honors curriculum and requires a minimum of four advanced placement courses to graduate. Ninth- and 10th-graders can select from four career paths -- biomedical science, engineering, business/entrepreneurship and software systems and development -- in addition to their core courses.

Topping the overall list was Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandra, Virginia.

Click here to see the full rankings from U.S. News and World Report.