Dublin High School Academic Rankings (API, SAT, AP, ACT, College Admissions)
Below is a comprehensive set of Dublin High School API, Advanced Placement (AP), SAT, ACT data, analysis and comparative rankings using the most recent data available. All Dublin High School API, AP, SAT and ACT data and similar schools rankings were calculated using data from the California Department of Education (CDE) website. Dublin High School’s college admission results are also summarized based on exit surveys compiled by Dublin High Counseling. Finally, additional Newsweek and US News and World Report ranking information is provided.
Similar Schools Definition Used in Rankings
The California Department of Education employs a “similar schools” methodology where schools “are ranked compared to 100 other schools with similar demographic characteristics”. The demographic characteristics defined in the Public Schools Accountability Act (PSAA) are noted at the bottom of this article. This list of similar schools is used by the CDE to rank Dublin High School. OneDublin.org has further used the similar schools list to rank Dublin High School SAT, AP and ACT results as compared to similar schools. The full list of 100 schools considered “similar” to Dublin High is available here. OneDublin.org also compared Dublin High School’s API, SAT, AP and ACT results to all charter high schools in California.
- Dublin High School API Results
- Dublin High School SAT and ACT Results
- Dublin High School Advanced Placement (AP) Results
- Dublin High School College Admission Results
- Other rankings (Newsweek, US News and World Report)
Dublin High School API Results
Dublin High School’s API for 2010-11 was 878. Dublin High currently has a statewide ranking of 10/10 (the top ranking on a scale of 1 to 10) based on academic performance. Dublin High School also ranked 10/10 compared to the similar schools (both district administered and chartered) list. Read more…
Below are Dublin High School’s API results for the past 6 years as per the California Department of Education.
| Year | # Students in API Score | Base API |
| 2011-12 | 1220 | 880 |
| 2010-11 | 1115 | 878 |
| 2009-10 | 1092 | 868 |
| 2008-9 | 1015 | 842 |
| 2007-8 | 1015 | 798 |
| 2006-7 | 984 | 795 |
| 2005-6 | 966 | 794 |
| 2004-5 | 934 | 789 |
Dublin High School SAT and ACT Results
As summarized in OneDublin.org’s College Primer for Parents, most 4-year colleges require SAT or ACT tests to be taken with performance requirements varying by college. Families unable to afford a 4-year college program also have the option of community college transfer programs as another path to a 4-year degree (this option can significantly reduce the cost of a 4-year degree).
Based on the data below, Dublin High’s SAT and ACT performance is comparable to similar schools as defined by the California Department of Education. OneDublin.org will continue to publish articles and videos to help parents and students prepare for and succeed on these important tests (OneDublin.org’s 4-Steps to Higher Scores on Multiple Choice Standardized Tests is one example).
Also of note, 10 Dublin High School seniors were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program for their performance on the Fall 2010 PSAT (read more…)
Dublin High School SAT Results vs. Similar Schools
| SAT | School Name | Percent Tested |
Critical Reading Average |
Math Average |
Writing Average |
Total Average |
| 2010-11 | Similar School SAT | 49% | 539 | 554 | 535 | 1628 |
| 2011-12 | Dublin High School SAT | 65% | 536 | 569 | 542 | 1647 |
| 2010-11 | Dublin High School SAT | 59% | 509 | 552 | 512 | 1573 |
| 2009-10 | Dublin High School SAT | 48% | 513 | 554 | 516 | 1584 |
| 2008-9 | Dublin High School SAT | 45% | 523 | 562 | 522 | 1607 |
| 2007-8 | Dublin High School SAT | 45% | 519 | 565 | 501 | 1584 |
| 2006-7 | Dublin High School SAT | 50% | 511 | 564 | 513 | 1588 |
| 2005-6 | Dublin High School SAT | 56% | 518 | 564 | 523 | 1605 |
(Note: SAT for 2004-5 and earlier is not directly comparable as the threshold in those reports was >= 1000; as a result that data was not included; 2005-2011 data from the California Dept. of Education, 2011-12 data from the CollegeBoard-provided Profile of SAT Testers at Dublin High School)
Dublin High School ACT Results vs. Similar Schools
| ACT | School Name | Percent Tested |
Average Score |
| 2010-11 | Similar Schools ACT | 26% | 24.5 |
| 2011-12 | Dublin High School ACT | 42% | 24.9 |
| 2010-11 | Dublin High School ACT | 33% | 24.1 |
| 2009-10 | Dublin High School ACT | 24% | 23.3 |
| 2008-9 | Dublin High School ACT | 24% | 23.3 |
| 2007-8 | Dublin High School ACT | 21% | 23.5 |
| 2006-7 | Dublin High School ACT | 18% | 24.6 |
| 2005-6 | Dublin High School ACT | 19% | 23.5 |
| 2004-5 | Dublin High School ACT | 16% | 22.6 |
(Note: 2004-20011 data from the California Dept. of Education website; 2011-12 data from the ACT-provided ACT Profile Report for Dublin High School)
Dublin High School Advanced Placement (AP) Test Results
Dublin High School offers 23 Advanced Placement (AP), Advanced and Honors courses as well as an Advanced Scholar Diploma for college preparation. Advanced Placement tests are administered under strict guidelines set out by the College Board. In 2012, 110 Dublin High School students won College Board Advanced Placement Awards based on their exam results (details available here). Based on the data below, Dublin High’s AP performance is comparable to similar schools as defined by the California Department of Education. Given the top decile API performance achieved by Dublin High, OneDublin.org views improvements in AP test results as a realistic goal. OneDublin.org, through participation in Dublin High’s Schools Site Council (SSC) plans to promote improvements in these areas as part of the school improvement plan.
Dublin High School AP Test Results vs. Similar Schools
In May 2012, 337 Dublin High School students took 741 AP exams.
| % Exams Score >3 | % Exams Score >4 | % Exams Score >5 |
||
| 2010-11 | Similar Schools AP | 71% | 43% | 19% |
| 2011-12 | Dublin High School AP | 75% | 47% | 20% |
| 2010-11 | Dublin High School AP | 73% | 45% | 17% |
| 2009-10 | Dublin High School AP | 70% | 43% | 17% |
| 2008-9 | Dublin High School AP | 66% | 37% | 15% |
| 2007-8 | Dublin High School AP | 68% | 36% | 13% |
| 2006-7 | Dublin High School AP | 61% | 28% | 10% |
| 2005-6 | Dublin High School AP | 73% | 41% | 13% |
| 2004-5 | Dublin High School AP | 62% | 31% | 9% |
Dublin High School College Admission Results 2012
Dublin High School Class of 2012 graduates received offers of acceptance from every UC and CSU campus plus Stanford, the US Air Force Academy, Brown, Duke, Purdue, and many more. Read more…
Dublin High School Class of 2011 graduates received offers of acceptance from every UC and CSU campus plus Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Yale, Julliard, West Point, Penn State, Purdue, and many more. Read more…
Dublin High School Class of 2010 graduates received offers of acceptance from every UC and CSU campus plus 6 of the top 10 colleges in the US (Harvard, Princeton, Yale, MIT, Stanford and Columbia) as ranked by the US News and World Report Best Colleges 2010. Read more…
In the most recent period measured by the University of California (2008-9), 84% of Dublin High students who applied to the UC system were accepted. (source: UC StatFinder)
OneDublin.org has published a Life in College series of articles about the transition from high school to college written by recent Dublin High School graduates:
- Life at UC Berkeley – from Dublin Gaels to Cal Bears
- Life at Carroll College – From Dublin Green to Montana Big Sky Country
- Life at Harvard University: Michelle Lee on Choosing Crimson for College Colors
- Becoming a University of Arizona Wildcat – From Dublin to Tucson
- Life as a Cadet at West Point: From Dublin High School to the US Military Academy
- Life as a UCLA Bruin: Deanna Hong on Combining Art, Athletics and Academics
- Life at Sonoma State University – Fulfilling a Love of Music
- Life at UC San Diego – From Dublin High AP to Nanoengineering
- Life as a Piper at Hamline University
- Life as a Vaquero at Santa Barbara City College
- Life at Stanford University: Ravali Reddy on Choosing Cardinal for College Colors
- Life at Columbia University and JTS – from Dublin High to the Ivy League
- Life at UC Davis: From The Hills of Dublin to the Flats of Davis
- Life at Penn State – Going from a Gael to a Nittany Lion
Newsweek and US News and World Report Rankings
- Based on Newsweek’s criteria, Dublin High School was included Newsweek’s list of America’s Best High Schools for 2010. Read more…
- Dublin High School met 2 of 3 criteria for a Silver ranking in the US News and World Report list of America’s Best High Schools. Continued API growth is required for Dublin High School to be eligible for recognition. Read more…
Continuous Improvement
AP, SAT and ACT test score data is one of many inputs used to prioritize school improvements. OneDublin.org’s founder is the chairperson of Dublin High’s School Site Council (SSC) for 2012-13 and has shared this analysis with the Dublin Unified School District and Dublin High School administration. Parents and members of the community interested in further advancing Dublin High School are encouraged to actively participate in school improvement, via school board meetings and Dublin High School organizations including the PFSO, School Site Council, athletic and arts boosters, and via direct interaction with teachers, counselors and administration.
Dublin High School Culture and Spirit
The best people to communicate the culture and spirit of a high school are its students. These Class of 2010, Class of 2011 and Class of 2012 graduates truly are Dublin High School:
Please notify onedublin@comcast.net of any corrections or omissions – these will be addressed. If you have follow-up questions regarding how comparisons in this article were calculated contact us at onedublin@comcast.net.
Footnote:
AP, ACT and SAT results were aggregated from here.
PSAA demographic characteristics used to define a “similar school”:
- Pupil mobility
- Pupil ethnicity (eight variables)
- Pupil socioeconomic status (two variables)
- Percentage of teachers who are fully credentialed
- Percentage of teachers who hold emergency credentials
- Percentage of pupils who are English learners (ELs)
- Average class size per grade level
- Whether the school operates a multitrack year-round educational program
- Percentage of grade span enrollments (grades two, three to five, six, seven to eight, and nine to eleven)
- Percentage of students in gifted and talented education program
- Percentage of students with disabilities
- Percentage of reclassified fluent-English-proficient (RFEP) students
- Percentage of migrant education students
OneDublin.org 
Thank you for the straight forward reporting! I really like the part where the other group cut the bar graph off so that it looks like DHS had 1/4 of the SAT score of Foothill High (instead of 160-165 points less out of 2400) and 1/2 the SAT score of California High (instead of 90-95 points less out of 2400). The author of the blog could have rescaled the graph to honestly represent the data-obviously not a mathematician. We moved from San Ramon to Dublin 6 years ago, but I still have many friends whose children go to Cal High. Their children are not encouraged to take the SAT if they are not planning on going to a 4 year school after graduation (and a lot of them are not planning on going to a 4 year school). All of Tess’ friends have been encouraged to take the SAT, even if they’re not looking to attend a 4 year school right away ( just to get the experience). All of this information is not reflected in the raw data. Tess is looking at “top tier” colleges, only because they fit her personality. An “I can do anything” personality that was really formed by the excellent education that she has received at Dublin High!
I was pleased to read that DHS fares well academically in comparison to other California high schools. I was a member of the first four year graduating class – the class of 1972. DHS prepared me well for college. I received several academic scholarships to USC, followed later by a graduate school fellowship and then a law school fellowship. My freshman year, DHS wasn’t finished yet, so the students (freshman and sophmore classes) were bussed to Amador. But we were a separate high school with separate athletic teams and our own identity. Sophmore year, we started at the new DHS campus, even though it was far from finished. For example, no sidewalks were in place when we started, so when it rained, we walked through the mud. And I mean, huge mud drifts. I had many great teachers at DHS, the best of whom was perhaps Cheryl Volmert, fka Cheryl Roosevelt. She was Franklin Roosevelt’s grand-niece and had just graduated from Stanford when she started teaching German at DHS. Ten of us spent four years with her learning German. Rick Dumling (sp?) and I both got perfect scores on the German achievement test and USC told me I could take any class I wanted. But Mrs. Volmert did more than teach us German. She forced us to discuss important issues of the day (race relations, ecology and women’s rights) in German. So, we had to first decide what we were willing to say about those issues publicly, then translate them into German. We had pretty good athletic teams when I was in high school. I got to play hoops in the Tournament of Champions – now known as CIF – at the Oakland Coliseum. And the Bay area music scene was terrific back then. I hired Tower of Power to perform in the gym in 1971 – for $350! Recently, I’ve reconnected with some DHS friends through Facebook. Dublin was a great play to grow up. Looks like it still is.