LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLERS MAKE GRADE : STUDENTS SURPASS STATE AVERAGES ON ACADEMIC SUCCESS MEASURES.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez and Michael Coit Daily News Staff Writer

California's latest high school performance report shows that this area's high school students again proved their schools' academic strengths by surpassing state averages in nearly every area, from college entrance exam scores to completion rates.

Released today, the report's numbers show students tend to stay in school, take challenging courses and attend college, said educators from the Las Virgenes, Oak Park and Conejo Valley unified school districts. Further, the number of students taking college entrance exams and Advanced Placement tests for college credit continues to increase.

Educators attributed the impressive numbers to a combination of strengths: committed and talented teachers; students dedicated to going to college; and parents who care about their children's education.

``I think teachers, students and parents put together a pretty good report for themselves,'' said Conejo Valley Unified School District Superintendent Jerry Gross.

``I've been to schools all over the country. Here, you get a high quality of teachers and parents who are very active in their children's schooling,'' he noted. ``You put that together and you've got it.''

The report uses completion rates, test scores, high school course enrollments and college attendance to offer a summary of student performance. It is not intended as a comprehensive evaluation of the quality of education, state officials said.

The Conejo-Las Virgenes area's six public high schools, not including continuation schools, each had particular strengths.

Calabasas High School, for instance, topped other area schools by having nearly 60 percent of its students taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test in 1995-96 score above the state average of 1,006 out of 1,600. The school's average score was also the highest in the area, at 1,116, and 77 percent of seniors took the test.

Calabasas High also had the highest percentage of 1995 graduates - 18 percent - attend University of California campuses.

``Obviously, some outstanding things are going on at Calabasas High,'' said Las Virgenes Unified Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Bob Fraisse. ``Students are really committed to learning.''

Westlake High School followed closely behind Calabasas, with 50 percent of its students who took the SAT scoring above the state average in 1995-96. The average score was 1,095, and 66 percent of seniors took the test.

Westlake also had a high percentage of students - 43 percent - receive an Advanced Placement exam score high enough to qualify for college credit.

Oak Park High School topped area high schools with only one dropout among 155 students in the class of 1995. Oak Park also had nearly 8 percent of the graduating class attend California State University campuses.

Agoura High School had an impressive completion rate for 1994-95, with 98 percent of its students finishing school. In the same year, some 14 percent of graduates attended a University of California campus.

Thousand Oaks and Newbury Park high schools both had 41 percent of students taking the SAT in 1995-96 score above the state average.

Thousand Oaks High had an average score of 1,103, with 56 percent of seniors taking the test. Newbury Park High had an average score of 1,076, with 54 percent of seniors taking the test.

Despite the impressive numbers, area educators said they see some room for improvement.

``We keep the bar up,'' said Gross. ``The teachers ask, `How much higher can we go?' We think there's always room to improve.''

Gross and Fraisse both mentioned the need to improve career training. The classes provide alternatives to those students who are not college-bound, and allow those who do go on to college to explore career options.

Simi Valley's and Moorpark's high schools topped statewide rates on most academic indicators in the report.

Led by particularly strong showings on college entrance exam scores and Advanced Placement courses, Simi Valley, Royal and Moorpark high schools sent between 55 percent and 70 percent of seniors graduating in 1995 to California's state colleges and universities.

Nearly 90 percent of Royal students and more than 92 percent of Moorpark students in the class of 1995 completed all four years of school. There was no completion rate given for Simi Valley, according to the report.

Some 13 percent of the Royal and Simi Valley graduates enrolled at University of California or California State University schools, compared with 11 percent of the Moorpark graduates. More than 50 percent of the Simi Valley and Moorpark graduates went to a California Community College, compared with 43 percent of the Royal graduates, according to the report.