How CCA Became the Best School in California | Bri Cateriano

How CCA Became the Best School in California

by: Bri Cateriano

It is no secret that Canyon Crest Academy, our high school, is the one of the best schools academically in the state of California. Other schools look at CCA as an example, asking how we do it and what drives many to have perfect ACT and SAT scores. Not only do we provide an academic example, but the social aspect also drives our school into the academic gem that it is.

What is CCA known for? Let me give you a hint, “Stay weird CCA”. We are known for being weird, and that is one of the reasons we are such a terrific school. The reality of our school is different and not traditional compared to a normal high school, which is part of why we are excelling ahead of others, such as Torrey Pines.  

The 4 by 4 schedule. The schedule which many both love and hate. This is what Torrey students would refer to as “weird”. However it plays a large role in our school’s success. The 4 by 4 allows students to not only double up on subjects such as math or a language, but also provides more work, which increases the academic rigor. No, it is not a traditional schedule. However, it allows students to choose to focus on 4 or less classes, and avoid the stress of having to worry about 5 or more classes at a time. It was originally created to allow students to take more electives, but has evolved in allowing students to take more APs, another weird characteristic of CCA- students love to take AP classes.

No football team: CCA has all the sports, well, except for football. No football team. That’s weird. The lack of a football team is good for our school because there are no football jocks nor are there cheerleaders for them to date. Sure we have soccer and water polo  players, but they do not have the same social impact on our school as football players have on their schools. No football players ultimately means less social division among our campus, providing an atmosphere without them has led students to be more themselves without fear of being made fun of. The lack of a football team has created our school to not only be academically excellent, but rather socially excellent as students can go to school without fear of the football team.

Conservatory: The Canyon Crest conservatory has had an incredible impact on our school by allowing students to show their passion. Many attend CCA because of the conservatory, and although it has no direct academic impact on our school, it certainly helps students create friends and allows them to do something they love at a high level. How does this impact us as the best ranking high school in California? It does so because it attracts students with talent to our school in the first place, students who excel in school and help our overall academic ranking. I am by no means saying that students who are in conservatory are smart, but for me, if you can be in dance conservatory and learn all of that difficult photography in a short amount of time, then you seem pretty smart to me. Those who do participate in extracurriculars like conservatory help our school’s social atmosphere which contributes to our academics.

No dress code: CCA is every teenage girl’s dream, no dress code! The no dress code rule plays a large social impact on our school as it allows students to express themselves, which plays a role in how they feel as a person. The better one feels as a person the better they do in life, as they feel more motivation and happiness. Expression is important for teenagers as without expression, people become lost and most often times depressed if they continue to hide who they are as a person. That is not a problem at CCA because of our privilege to express ourselves without limit.