Three Pasadena schools make top 10 of L.A. Magazine’s Best Schools

PASADENA>> Three Pasadena schools made the top 10 of Los Angeles Magazine’s Best Public and Private High Schools ranking.

Pasadena Polytechnic, a kindergarten through 12th grade co-ed private school on East California Boulevard, ranked number two on the list of 75 schools in L.A. County. Westridge School, a private school for girls on Madeline Drive, was ranked in the seventh spot and Marshall Fundamental High School, a public high school on North Allen Avenue, made the eighth spot.

Just three public high schools, including Marshall, made the top 10.

Pasadena Unified School District issued a press release last week in advance of the published ranking.

“Marshall maintains a commitment to high standards and equity,” said Marshall Fundamental Principal Dr. Mark Anderson. “The collaborative effort between students, parents, teachers, counselors, and staff has led to our success. Each member of the Marshall family believes in the school, works hard to educate students and feel it is the greatest place in the world to be.”

Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews developed the ranking system by what he calls the Challenge Index, that evaluates high schools based on Advance Placement and International Baccalaureate tests administered at each school, divided by the number of graduates.

Some private schools refused to share their data, Matthews wrote.

At Marshall, 70 percent of the students are low-income and 47 percent of seniors passed the AP and IB tests taken. About 950 tests were administered. About 200 students graduated in 2013.

At Pasadena Polytechnic, 100 percent of seniors passed the AP and IB tests. The school did not provide the number of low-income students. The 2013 graduating class consisted of 88 students.

At Westridge, 93 percent of seniors passed the AP and IB tests. Sixty-seven students graduated in 2013.

Other San Gabriel Valley high schools that made the list were: Flintridge Preparatory in La Canada Flintridge (ranked 5th), San Marino High School in San Marino (ranked 17th), South Pasadena High School in South Pasadena (ranked 21st), La Canada High in La Canada Flintridge (ranked 23rd), Gabrielino High in San Gabriel (ranked 45th), Arcadia High in Arcadia (ranked 47th), Blair High School in Pasadena (ranked 67th) and Mark Keppel High in Alhambra (ranked 70th).