Ten North County high schools made Newsweek magazine's controversial list of the top 1,036 high schools nationwide.

The list is part of the magazine's "America's Best High Schools" issue, which hits newsstands this week. The magazine developed its rankings by dividing the number of students taking advanced placement tests in a school by the number of campus graduates.

To make the list, a school must have had at least as many students graduating as taking the exams. Out of the 27,468 public high schools nationwide, the magazine said, only 1,036 met its standard.

Critics have knocked Newsweek's "best high schools" list over the years, saying college preparatory testing rates aren't enough to identify the best schools in the nation. In 2003, for example, then-Torrey Pines High School Principal Marie Grey called the list flawed —— even though her school made the list —— because AP testing is required at some campuses and optional at others.

Critics have also said that using the ratio of college-level tests to high school graduates to indicate a high school's quality is also misleading because students do not have to be graduating seniors to take the exams.

Despite the controversy, local school officials with schools on the list said they couldn't be happier.

Three schools in the San Dieguito Union High School District made the list: Torrey Pines at No. 82, followed by San Dieguito Academy at No. 171 and La Costa Canyon High School at No. 240.

District Superintendent Peggy Lynch said Monday she was thrilled by the news.

"It's great," she said. "It's really exciting news. We're really proud of our high schools."

Torrey Pines Principal Rick Schmitt pointed to the district's 5-year-old policy of open access to AP classes —— university-level classes students take to earn college credits —— as the reason behind the district's high showing.

At some high schools, students must secure a letter of recommendation and meet other academic criteria —— such as a certain grade-point average —— to enroll in AP classes. But in the San Dieguito district, any student can enroll in an AP class. Schmitt said that, as a result, many so-called "average" students are enrolling in advanced classes that once had been considered the territory of only the most elite students.

In the Oceanside Unified School District, El Camino ranked 309 on the list. Principal Dan Daris also credited his school's longstanding open access to AP courses for his school's high ranking.

"In the last 10 years we've really advanced our AP program, and one of our main focuses is open access to AP courses," said Daris, who spoke earlier this year at the U.S. Department of Education's National High School Summit in Washington, D.C., on how his school has narrowed the achievement gap between white and minority students.

"We encourage all of our students to challenge themselves. We offer 18 different AP courses, and we have about 600 students taking close to 1,200 tests this year, so I'm not surprised (that we ranked so high)."

Escondido Union High School District Superintendent Larry Hughes said he wasn't surprised that San Pasqual High School made the list at No. 390.

"AP has been an area of emphasis at all our high schools in the past two years," said Hughes. "We encourage students to enroll in these classes and not worry about passing the exams, because even if they don't pass they will have benefited from a more rigorous program."

Nancy Peterson, the principal at 738rd-ranked San Marcos High School, said the listing validates the school's emphasis on open access to AP curriculum for all students.

"What's exciting is you're not just catering to the top students," said Peterson. "With open access, you raise the bar for everyone."

The Poway Unified School District also has three schools on the list: Rancho Bernardo High School (No. 736), Poway High School (No. 833) and Mt. Carmel High School (No. 921).

District Superintendent Don Phillips said his district has been working to increase the numbers of students taking AP classes, and that he expects the three schools to move up in the rankings over the next several years.

"We really believe the opportunity to take a college level course with the support of a high school environment prepares our students for college," said Phillips.

Newsweek's "America's Best High Schools" List

North County schools:

- No. 82: Torrey Pines High School in Carmel Valley

- No. 171: San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas

- No. 240: La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad

- No. 309: El Camino High School in Oceanside

- No. 390: San Pasqual High School in Escondido

- No. 736 Rancho Bernardo High School in Rancho Bernardo

- No. 783: San Marcos High School in San Marcos

- No. 833: Poway High School in Poway

- No. 921: Mt. Carmel High School in Poway

- No. 961: Temecula Valley High School in Temecula