School for Scholars

For the third straight year, North Hollywood High School has produced the No. 1 Advanced Placement scholar in the nation.

But that’s not all. The school also said Friday that it had the top 11th-grade AP scholar and two other 1999 graduates who ranked in the top 10.

Alumna Diana Hong, a first-year student at the University of Pennsylvania studying in a prestigious, joint-degree international studies and business program, earned the top honor by scoring a 4 or higher on 20 AP exams.

Hong’s honor did not surprise Frank Pinkus, western regional director for undergraduate admissions at Penn, who said she was a top student. He said Hong, who also earned a perfect SAT score, was one of 40 students nationwide selected for the program. About 700 applied.

Administered by the College Board, AP tests are given in a variety of subjects, allowing students who score a 3, 4 or 5 to earn college credit. To become one of the nation’s estimated 1,400 AP scholars, students must earn a minimum score of 4 on at least eight AP exams.

Alumni Grace Lee and David Yau, both students at Stanford University, earned the No. 2 and No. 6 spots, respectively; North Hollywood High senior Tyler Rubin was the top 11th-grade AP scholar.

“When I first heard that I won, I said, ‘Oh,’ ” said Rubin, 17, of Encino, who began taking AP tests in the eighth grade. “I had no idea they gave out such an award. Once they told me about it, I said, ‘Oh!’ ”

So far, Rubin has taken 13 AP exams in subjects such as calculus, chemistry, physics, music theory, Spanish literature and European history.

“I like taking AP tests because it’s a good way to measure my progress,” he said. “It’s always nice to look back on things.”

Although AP scholars receive no monetary awards, Rubin said he hopes the distinction will help him get into Harvard, Stanford or Princeton next fall.

“I’m not overly confident,” said Rubin, who has an almost perfect grade-point average and a perfect SAT score of 1600. “I would like to have my pick of schools, but I know a lot of students here who don’t get into Harvard.”

North Hollywood High’s AP scholars are part of the school’s highly gifted magnet, a program of 244 students who have IQs of 145 or higher.

AP coordinator Susan Bonoff said magnet and non-magnet students study together and push each other to excel on AP tests. Last spring, the school administered about 1,300 AP exams to 550 students.

“It’s impressive,” said Bonoff, explaining that many of the students, particularly those in the highly gifted magnet, are unassuming about their accomplishments. “A lot of these students have always gone to school with high-ability students, so their reality is a little skewed.”

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Rubin agreed. “I’m not as impressed with myself as other people,” he said. “I tend to always look ahead at what I could be doing.”

He’s now looking toward mid-October, the deadline for an early admission application to Harvard, where he would like to major in physics.

“I’m also really interested in composing music,” said Rubin, who plays the trumpet in school band and studies at least 15 hours a week.

In the spring, he plans to take at least seven AP exams in French, biology, microeconomics and government, and other subjects.

“I’m really looking forward to the AP tests,” Rubin said. “If I got all 5s, that would top off my year.”