A Magnet Success Story

The students and faculty at North Hollywood High School’s highly gifted magnet program have shown time and again that they are some of the brightest lights in the Los Angeles Unified School District. Last month, they shined even more luminous as six young scholars placed in the top 10 among students nationwide taking Advanced Placement exams.

That’s right: 60% of the top 10 are the products of a single school. It’s a feat remarkable for any school, but North Hollywood consistently ranks near the top. Last year’s top AP scholar also hailed from North Hollywood. This year, North Hollywood students Greg Marsden, Michael Saji and Michael Shulman nabbed the first, second and third spots.

Advanced Placement tests are given in a variety of subject areas--from music theory to computer science. Students who score a 3 or better out of a possible 5 can earn college credit. This year, 1,423 AP scholars were named nationwide. To qualify, students must have minimum grade point averages of 4.0 and have taken at least eight AP exams with scores no lower than 4.

Marsden took 20 exams and scored a 5 on almost all--marks that will allow him to take more advanced classes during his freshman year at Stanford University. Other North Hollywood students in the top 10 include No. 6 Robin Stein, No. 7 Benjamin Kwak and No. 9 Emily Wang. The students are bound for Caltech, Michigan State, Harvard and Princeton.

The success of these students is a tribute to the teachers and staff who create an atmosphere of excellence at the magnet, where the 244 students have a minimum IQ of 145. But the program accounts for less than 10% of the overall enrollment at North Hollywood High, where scores are not nearly as impressive.

For instance, ninth-graders at the magnet scored in the 97th percentile in math and the 91st percentile in reading on last spring’s Stanford 9 standardized exam. Their counterparts in the regular high school placed in the 47th percentile in math and the 29th percentile in reading on the same exam. Clearly, two very different schools exist on the campus. The achievements of the magnet students should not be diminished. But neither can the needs of students in the regular program be overlooked.