Oxford Academy’s ranking officially increased to number one in the state and number nine in the nation, according to the U.S. News and World Report annual report released on August 29th. Though Oxford has held the title of number one in California before, rising to be in the top ten of the nation is a first. Students and faculty alike celebrated the tremendous achievement.
“I think it affirms what I already thought, being in Oxford for six years now. We always see a wave of new students that are very capable in terms of academics and extracurriculars and I think that our ranking shows that,” said ASB Vice President Louis Kim, a senior.
The U.S. News and World Report determines rankings between public high schools across the United States by taking into consideration several factors, including the college readiness index, graduation rates, and the state assessment performances of a school.
“A lot of it has to do with testing,” said Mrs. Houston, Oxford’s principal. “We did a great job; I think we had over 97% of the AP pass rate for the entire school [last year].”
Though there were no school-specific changes implemented into the last school year to intentionally raise the rankings, Houston speculates how the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused the initial drop in rankings.
“After COVID, kids were kind of slowly getting back into things. I think being back in school in person and collaborating, communicating, and doing things together really invigorated everybody to learn more and get more excited,” Houston said.
The new changes implemented by the district last year could have influenced the rankings as well. Assistant Principal Dr. Cho agrees that the Capstone, Performance Task Assessments, and the 5Cs really helped with Oxford’s overall performance.
The week following the national ranking announcement, Oxford students were given an extended lunch to celebrate their communal achievement. The cafeteria distributed cookies while ASB hosted games and activities for the students to enjoy.
“We were the ones who set up the event and made sure that [the students] knew about the event so that we could all celebrate as a school. That’s what our job is: to bring the students together,” Kim said.
PTSA hosted a party for teachers and staff as well, providing food and gifts in thanks for all the faculty’s hard work.
“It’s great that the parents celebrate everything. The parents are vital for Oxford’s success. The party was a testament to the parents’ relationship. It was very edifying and exhorted us to keep on doing well in the journey together.” said Dr. Cho.
And the journey does continue. Looking ahead to the future of Oxford, Dr. Cho hopes for students’ individual enjoyment beyond the school’s overall success.
“Remember to enjoy being a high school and junior high school student. Cherish every day and moment by moment. Do the best you can, regardless of the accolades. But efforts do become tangible.” Cho said.
Though the increase in rankings is an achievement affirming Oxford’s academic talent, Houston sums up the real goal for Oxford.
“I hope to create a safe place to learn, and that we’re all here rooting for each other and being happy for each other when they’re successful.” Houston said.
