BHUSD Posts Major Academic Gains, Sets the Record Straight on Rankings

Beverly Hills Unified School District's latest academic report documents higher achievement across its elementary, middle and high school programs, with double-digit percentage-point gains in districtwide mathematics and science since 2024. The results challenge a portrayal of declining academic performance that leaves out the district's two most recent years of progress.

The distinction at the center of the school-ranking debate is now documented by the ranking publisher itself: U.S. News & World Report's 2026-2027 high school rankings use 2023-2024 data. They do not incorporate the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 results presented to the BHUSD Board of Education on October 13.

A ranking published in 2026 is therefore not a measurement of what BHUSD students achieved in 2026. Treating it as one leaves out substantial improvements visible in the district's current assessment results.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Dustin Seemann delivered the Education Services presentation, which includes state assessment results, University of California admissions trends and Advanced Placement performance. The Standard reviewed the district's published presentation and the ranking publisher's announcement.

Districtwide, the share of tested students meeting or exceeding mathematics standards rose from 57.74% in 2024 to 62.80% in 2025 and 68.72% in 2026. That is a two-year gain of 10.98 percentage points.

Science proficiency increased from 42.68% to 47.39% to 56.44% over the same three years, a gain of 13.76 percentage points since 2024. English Language Arts rose from 68.52% to 71.11% to 75.44%, an increase of 6.92 percentage points.

These are changes in the share of tested students reaching the standards, expressed in percentage points. They compare annual testing groups rather than following each individual student's progress.

The gains also extend beyond the districtwide averages. Each of the four schools profiled in the presentation, El Rodeo Elementary, Horace Mann Elementary, Beverly Vista Middle School and Beverly Hills High School, recorded higher results in all three subjects in 2026 than in 2025.

At El Rodeo, English Language Arts increased from 78.22% to 84.78%, mathematics from 79.71% to 83.76%, and science from 67.93% to 72.73%.

At Horace Mann, English Language Arts rose from 71.37% to 75.41% and mathematics from 68.09% to 74.61%. Science climbed from 54.39% to 69.01%, a one-year increase of 14.62 percentage points.

Beverly Vista's English Language Arts result increased from 69.71% to 72.20%, mathematics from 58.35% to 63.80%, and science from 52.32% to 63.25%. Its science result was 47.75% in 2024, making the two-year gain 15.50 percentage points.

The middle school's progress accompanies recognition beyond the testing charts. The California Department of Education lists Beverly Vista among its 2026 California Distinguished Schools. The district has also announced Schools to Watch status and California PBIS Platinum recognition, the highest level in that program, for the school's implementation of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.

At Beverly Hills High School, English Language Arts rose from 61.73% in 2024 to 67.27% in 2025 and 74.70% in 2026. Mathematics increased from 48.20% to 52.14% to 60.31%. Those two-year gains, 12.97 and 12.11 percentage points respectively, fall outside the data period used in the current U.S. News rankings.

BHHS science proficiency also increased in the latest year, from 34.31% in 2025 to 42.55% in 2026.

In its August 18 rankings announcement, U.S. News identifies 2023-2024 as the data year and describes a system incorporating state assessments, graduation rates and college-readiness measures. That establishes the rankings' time frame independently of BHUSD's explanation.

The distinction does not erase the historical ranking or establish where BHHS would rank if newer results were included. It does establish that the ranking cannot be used as evidence of the school's 2025 or 2026 test performance. The newer scores must be considered on their own terms.

"The results presented tonight are clear: student achievement has and continues to rise across our elementary, middle, and high school programs," Board President Judy Manouchehri said in the district's October 14 release. "We will not allow the work of our students and educators to be dismissed by depictions of our schools that leave out their current progress. Rankings based on 2023–2024 data do not tell the story of what our students achieved in 2025 and 2026. Our responsibility is to present the facts clearly, recognize the achievement, and keep raising expectations for every student."

The presentation also provided a five-year UC admissions comparison. For fall 2025, the latest year in the comparison presented to the board, BHHS recorded a 67.8% admission rate, compared with 55.2% for Harvard-Westlake and 63.7% for Laguna Beach High School.

BHHS's rate rose from 55.0% in 2021 to 67.8% in 2025, a gain of 12.8 percentage points. Its rate exceeded both comparison schools in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025; Laguna Beach's rate was higher in 2021.

These figures measure the share of each school's UC applicants admitted to at least one UC campus. They are not the percentage of an entire graduating class admitted, and they do not measure admission to a particular campus. UC's source-school data guidance distinguishes applicants, admitted students and enrolled students, and specifies that universitywide applicant and admit counts are unduplicated.

The comparison places BHHS ahead of the two schools on that particular measure. It does not account for differences in applicant groups, campus choices or academic programs sought.

AP exam volume reached 986 in 2026, the highest total in the five-year report and a 38.3% increase from 713 in 2022. The distinction between exams and students matters: students may take more than one exam. The number of AP students was 460 in 2026, compared with 478 in 2025 and 345 in 2022.

Of those 460 students, 393 earned a score of 3 or higher on at least one exam, or 85.43%. That share was below 2025's 88.08%, even as the total number of exams increased. The report therefore documents record exam volume, not a record number of participating students or a record success rate.

The results also identify work still ahead. Districtwide, 56.44% of tested students met the science standard in 2026, leaving a substantial share below it. BHHS's science proficiency rate, despite its latest increase, remained 42.55%. Academic improvement and the need for further support are both visible in the same report.

Seemann also outlined district-funded AP examinations, SAT School Day and elementary tutoring, according to the release. The presentation lists High Impact Tutoring, curriculum alignment, teacher training and a newly launched ninth-grade AI course among the district's instructional initiatives.

"Behind every gain in this report are students who kept trying, teachers who believed in their potential, and families who encouraged them," Superintendent Dr. Alex Cherniss said in the release. "Their progress deserves to be seen and understood. We are proud of what our students have achieved and stand beside every student who needs our support. That is our commitment to every Beverly Hills family."

The academic record presented on October 13 is specific: all four profiled schools improved in all three tested subjects from 2025 to 2026, districtwide mathematics and science posted double-digit percentage-point gains since 2024, and BHHS's English and mathematics results rose substantially after the year captured by the current rankings. An account of BHUSD's academic performance that omits those results is incomplete.

The full presentation and meeting video are available on BHUSD's State of the District page.