Originally published on 15 January 2015 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

A college education used to be something only a privileged few could attain. But that was in my parents’ time. There are now more college applicants than ever before and parents want their children to attend the best high schools to ensure acceptance to the university of their dreams. This monthly feature will focus on one school district at a time to cover as much information necessary to help parents with school-age children in their quest for schools.

In the San Gabriel Valley, Arcadia is well-known for its excellent school district. According to the website education.com, the Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) comprises 11 schools serving 9,807 students from kindergarten through 12^th grade.  AUSD’s elementary and middle schools are highly-ranked, preparing them well for high school. Its two high schools are Arcadia High School (AHS) and Rancho Learning Center.

The U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools evaluated 19,000 high schools in the country and gave AUSD a Gold Medal three years in a row (2012, 2013 and 2014), a feat attained by fewer than three percent of schools evaluated. It ranked AHS 432^nd nationally and 89^th statewide.  Arcadia High School’s college readiness is at 49.7, which is above the California average; its academic performance index is at 897, well above the California level of 789. It has a total enrollment of 3,665 students (51% male and 49% female), 84% of whom are minorities.  It has 145 full-time teachers (student/teacher ratio 25:1). 

AUSD’s website lists the following high school curriculum standards: Language Arts from 9^th to 12^th grade; Math courses in Algebra, Geometry, Math Analysis, Calculus, and Statistics; Science courses in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, BioPhysics, Environmental Science, and Human Physiology; Social Science courses in U.S. History, Modern World History, Government & Politics, and Economics.  World Languages being offered are: French, Japanese, Mandarin, and Spanish.

Arcadia High School has a wide range of Performing and Visual Arts course offerings including: Dimensional Studio Art, Drawing & Painting, Theatre, Film, Animation, Art History, Music Theory, Chorus, Percussion Ensemble, Treble Choir, Ceramics, among others.  There are 35 AP and Honors Programs altogether.

It is in high school that most great athletes get their start and shine. Arcadia High School offers a vast array of sports activities to fit most teen-agers’ interests.  Their sports teams include:  baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, pep squad, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, volleyball and water polo.

If your children are thinking of playing sports in college, make sure they look into the NCAA requirements (www.ncaa.org) and let their coach and counselor know.  Several universities offer athletic scholarships and college coaches scout the country in search of the next rising star.

Life at AHS is abuzz with an amazing choice of academic teams and clubs. There is never a boring day on campus when you have activities like Academic Decathlon, History Bowl, Math Team, Speech and Debate, to name just a few.  

One of the most important hallmarks of Arcadia High School’s curriculum is its attention not only to its students’ academic life, but to their total development. At the same time that it had 22 seniors named National Merit Scholarship finalists and one of its seniors achieving a perfect  score on the AP Calculus BC exam, the school boasts award-winning and nationally-recognized performing arts and athletic programs. To provide an enhanced experience for their students, AHS inaugurated a world-class Performing Arts Center on campus two years ago. They are opening a brand new state-of-the art library and cafeteria; they just got a new turf sports field; and a new pool and aquatics center are on track for completion this summer.   

A news article written by Scott Hettrick last June lauded Arcadia High School’s 2014 graduates.  Nine hundred seniors, or 99% of the total graduating class, attended their graduation ceremony held at Santa Anita Park. He reported that this year’s graduating class had an average GPA of 3.34, average SAT score of 1846, average ACT score of 29. Ninety-four percent of these graduates planned to attend college (five were heading to Harvard, one to MIT, four were going to Stanford). There were three students who were accepted to Princeton, one to Yale, four to Brown, ten to Carnegie-Mellon, 47 to USC, and 56 were accepted to UCLA. These are formidable numbers indeed. It’s no wonder AUSD is the envy of other school districts. 

The fact that Arcadia High School is such an academic powerhouse is not lost on most parents.   They know that a B student from AHS is looked at more positively than an A student from a less scholarly institution, making their children’s acceptance to a highly selective university more likely. This has sent real estate prices soaring, much to the chagrin of would-be house-buyers. 

Let me be the one to give hope to parents whose children aren’t attending AHS, though. High school college counselors provide college admission directors a profile of their school, which includes their course and extra-curricular offerings, a history of their seniors’ grades and what schools they were accepted to. It also contains a grade distribution for individual subject classes offered by the high school. The distribution helps a college determine where each applicant stands so they can compare students in the same class who are applying to the same college. If your children are attending a school that doesn’t historically send academically-gifted and accomplished graduates, your children will have a greater chance of setting themselves apart from their classmates. The competition would not be as insurmountable.   

The lesson is that whatever school your children are currently attending, they have to concentrate on taking the most rigorous courses available, getting stellar grades, tackling extra-curricular activities, taking enrichment programs and putting in a good number of community service hours. Make sure your children are making the most of their high school career and are setting their sights on getting into the college that is the right fit for them.