FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 4 2014
CONTACT: Valerie Martinez, Juliette Funes (909) 445-1001

Diamond Ranch Named A Top U.S. High School

More than 1,000 Schools Considered by National News Publication

POMONA, Calif. – Diamond Ranch High School has been ranked one of the most successful public high schools out of thousands across the nation for 2014 by The Daily Beast news organization.

In its quest to find the top public educational institutions in America, The Daily Beast surveyed approximately 1,200 schools with above-average graduation rates of at least 85 percent. After taking academic rigor into consideration, the list was whittled down to just over 700 finalists.

The Pomona Unified school – which has a graduation rate of 99.3 percent and has a college-bound rate of 89.3 percent – ranked 308 out of 735.

“There are hundreds of excellent schools on this list, so for one of our schools to be recognized out of thousands across the nation for its academic prowess and rigorous program is a great feat for Pomona Unified,” said Board of Education President Frank Guzman. “I couldn’t be prouder of our teachers and staff for working so hard to make Diamond Ranch stand out as one of the best high schools in the region to best prepare our students for the 21st century.”

The criteria used to compile the list included graduation and college acceptance rates, which were weighed most heavily; academic rigor using Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes and test scores; the number of students qualifying for free or reduced lunches; and student performance on college admission exams – all indicators of how well a school prepares students for college and career.

At Diamond Ranch, nearly 100 percent of students graduate, almost 90 percent are college-bound and students score highly on the SAT (1453) and ACT (20.7) college admission tests. The number of students enrolled in the school’s AP/IB courses is 31.6 percent and the exam pass rate on those two rigorous academic tests is 43.8 percent.

“As a principal, I am thrilled with the high academic standards our students, staff and parents have,” Diamond Ranch Principal Suzanne Ripley said. “We have a strong tradition of excellence at Diamond Ranch High School and it is wonderful to have major news agencies acknowledge the top high schools in the nation, and we are proud to be one of them.”

In addition to The Daily Beast’s ranking, Diamond Ranch was recognized as one of America’s most challenging high schools by the Washington Post and as one of the best high schools by U.S. News & World Report. Diamond Ranch is also a two-time California Distinguished School and successfully earned a six-year WASC accreditation term.

Other key components that make Diamond Ranch a standout school include establishing AP and Honors courses, achieving Digital High School status, having cutting-edge technology, athletic success and powerful co-curricular programs.

“Our vision at Pomona Unified is to prepare students to become first-class citizens with a world-class education, and these rankings only validate the success of that vision,” PUSD Superintendent Richard Martinez said.  “Congratulations to our great teachers, parents and community for supporting our kids in achieving significant academic growth.”