The following article was submitted by SMMUSD.
Malibu High School (MHS) and Santa Monica High School (Samohi) have been recognized among the nation’s best in the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings, which evaluated nearly 18,000 public schools.
Samohi placed 777th, earning a spot in the top 5 percent, while Malibu High ranked 2,009th, placing it in the top 11 percent. The recognition highlights the dedication and achievements of Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) educators and students.
In addition to the national rankings, U.S. News ranked MHS 276 and Samohi 102 out of 2,586 high schools in California, while countywide rankings are 132 for Malibu and 41 for Santa Monica.
“We are honored that our high schools have been recognized among the best in the nation by the 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools rankings,” said SMMUSD Superintendent Dr. Antonio Shelton. “This recognition reflects the dedication of our educators, staff and administrators in preparing students for success in higher education and future careers. I congratulate our school teams and students for their hard work and commitment to excellence.”
To create the rankings, U.S. News focused on six factors: college readiness, reading and math proficiency, reading and math performance, underserved student performance, college curriculum breadth and graduation rates.
In 2024, Malibu ranked 77 in the state and 573 in the country and Samohi ranked 120 in the state and 850 in the nation. Olympic High School is not included in this ranking as an alternative school.
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