Elementary schools in California are showing improvement on academic tests, but high schools continue to struggle and should undergo reform, according to state education officials who released base Academic Performance Index scores Tuesday.

The API is a formula used to measure how individual campuses are doing on statewide tests; scores range from a low of 200 to a high of 1,000.

While more schools met the state-set target score of 800 in 2003, high schools continue to lag behind. More than a quarter of all elementary schools had an API score of 800 or above in 2003; in comparison, just 7.4 percent of all high schools have reached that benchmark.

In August, 2004 test scores for the state's 8,000 public schools will be compared with these base scores to determine improvement at each campus.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said that elementary schools have seen the biggest gains because most curriculum and instructional reforms have been focused at that level. It is clear, he said, that high schools need sweeping reforms.

Last month, O'Connell proposed changes, including requiring every high school student to complete the courses required for admission to the state university system, regardless of whether they are college-bound.

"Clearly our high schools need to become more of a priority for us in this state," he said.

Many educators agree. In the Elk Grove Unified School District, officials are busy forming a task force aimed at high school improvement.

"The high schools are doing well and making some progress, but we need to rachet it up like we have done with the lower grades," said district Superintendent Dave Gordon.

Base API scores are recalculated every year as the formula changes; this year, for example, the formula was recalculated for grades 9, 10 and 11, where students will take a California Standards science test for the first time.

The science results will account for 5 percent of the API formula; to accommodate them, English-language arts results were diminished by 3 percent and math was diminished by 2 percent when determining the formula.

While the equation changes year to year, it is always calculated based on the target score of 800, said Bill Padia, director of policy and evaluation for the state Department of Education.

"Even though you're mixing in different measures, everything is computed based on that target," he said.

The state Department of Education also released the latest rankings for California's 8,000 public schools, rating each campus' academic performance on a scale of 1 to 10.

Educators take pride in the rankings. At Ridgepoint Elementary in the Rio Linda Union School District, Principal Kathy Josephsen was happy to learn that her school scored an 8 on the statewide rankings and a 9 on the similar-schools rankings, which compares schools with similar socioeconomic factors, among others.

Ridgepoint was the highest-ranking elementary school in the district.

"We work hard to be shining stars," Josephsen said. "We have a community that supports us."

The annual ritual also gives parents and real estate agents a gauge to determine which schools are considered "good;" a 10 is the highest ranking, while 1 is the lowest.

To see county, district and school-by-school results, go to http://sacbee.greatschools.net/modperl/go/CA/.