Academics
Lynbrook has a solid academic reputation. Lynbrook has widely been known for consistently being one of the top 20 high schools in California for several years. Lynbrook's academic reputation has also influenced the real estate market in the surrounding neighborhood, causing home prices to rise higher than other neighborhoods in the San Jose area.
As of 2011, Lynbrook High School's base Academic Performance Index (API) is 943, which is 201 points higher than the state average for high schools, and is similar to those of Saratoga, Mission San Jose, and Monta Vista. The API ranking for Lynbrook High School is 19 out of 19, which is the best rating possible for any school, and its similar-schools API ranking is 9 out of 10. In 2008, Lynbrook was ranked 6th out of all public schools in the state of California, excluding magnet schools, based on API scores. In 2009, the U.S. News & World Report ranked Lynbrook as the 98th best high school in the United States. In 2007, the school scored a 10 out of 10 in both API Statewide and Similar School ranking.
Lynbrook students consistently receive high marks on standardized exams, including the SAT and Advanced Placement Exams. On the SAT I (now known as the SAT Reasoning Test), the mean critical reading score for the class of 2012 was 636/800, the mean writing score was 668/800, and the mean mathematics score was 696/800. The mean composite score on the SAT was a 2000/2400. Out of 1585 tests taken by 672 students who took Advanced Placement Exams in May 2012, 57% scored a 5, the highest score possible, and 94% of the people passed. STAR test results are also remarkably high, with most students scoring proficient or above in almost all subjects, particularly in mathematics and science, though some students admit to goofing off, and therefore getting lower scores. In 2009, 119 students were awarded with the title of AP Scholar, 65 became AP Scholars with Honors, 6 became AP Scholars with Distinction, and 9 students became National AP Scholars. Lynbrook produced 62 national merit semifinalists, and 93 commended students from the class of 2013, which is the highest proportion based on the size of the graduating class (431) out of all of the high schools in the Fremont Union High School District. Almost all students take the SAT. Many SAT prep schools have sprung up all over San Jose, Cupertino, and Saratoga. These SAT prep classes are taken by a large percentage of Lynbrook pupils. Most students choose to take numerous honors and AP classes to boost their GPA.
Lynbrook has a relatively high proportion of high student GPA's. Unweighted GPA's above 3.8 are pretty common. For most students, heavy emphasis is placed on honors and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. AP United States History (APUSH) is considered one of the hardest courses, with typically two chapters of at least three hours (for each chapter) of reading and notes-taking per night. Due to their high academic success, many Lynbrook graduates have gone to several high profile colleges and universities around the country, including Ivy League institutions. Although students sometimes complain that there is too much stress, myriad graduates report having a much easier time in college compared to other non-Lynbrook classmates, as Lynbrook is similar in difficulty, stress levels, and the ways college classes are taught. More than half of all Lynbrook graduates attend the University of California, making Lynbrook one of the university's largest feeders. Not all students attend four-year colleges; about one-fourth attend two-year colleges such as nearby distinguished De Anza College before transferring to other prestigious institutions.
In 2009-2010, Lynbrook boasted a total of 6 semifinalists, 2 finalists, and one 2nd place student from the Intel Science Talent Search, one of the most prestigious science competitions in America.
In 2011, Lynbrook was recognized at a Gala Dinner in Washington DC as an Intel School of Distinction Winner in science. Lynbrook is one of only six schools (two elementary, two middle and two high schools, each for either math or science) in the nation to receive this recognition.
Read more about this topic: Lynbrook High School
Famous quotes containing the word academics:
“Our first line of defense in raising children with values is modeling good behavior ourselves. This is critical. How will our kids learn tolerance for others if our hearts are filled with hate? Learn compassion if we are indifferent? Perceive academics as important if soccer practice is a higher priority than homework?”
—Fred G. Gosman (20th century)
“Almost all scholarly research carries practical and political implications. Better that we should spell these out ourselves than leave that task to people with a vested interest in stressing only some of the implications and falsifying others. The idea that academics should remain “above the fray” only gives ideologues license to misuse our work.”
—Stephanie Coontz (b. 1944)