Every year, Newsweek ranks the 500 best high schools in the United States, and it’s no surprise that the Brahmas have once again made the list.  Ranking 128th in the nation and 19th in California, Diamond Bar High School continues to keep its place amongst the best public schools in the country.

Newsweek obtained records for over 15,000 schools in the nation and then narrowed the number down to 4,760 before ranking the top 500.

A college readiness index score is determined by six variables: staff and enrollment rates are both weighted at 10 percent, composite SAT/ACT scores and composite AP/IB/Dual Enrollment score at 17.5 percent each, high school graduation rates at 20 percent, and college enrollment rates at 25 percent.  Most of Newsweek’s analysis data originates from the federal database of the National Center of Education Statistics.

Based on the index score, Newsweek created a final list that considered only student performance and school resources.

Along with DBHS, other area schools were ranked, including Troy with a rank of 60th and Walnut High School with a placement of 455th.

The website only focuses on ranking public schools because they are “generally accessible to all students.”

Public and private schools typically operate differently, which necessitates different methodologies for ranking and assessment.

Newsweek then developed a second method of ranking schools, this time taking into account the student body’s family background and the average poverty levels of the school district in order to recognize schools that have produced outstanding results in comparison to their resources.  Though DBHS placed well in the previous list, it did not rank on this list.